Night Cry
by 22wolf
Summary: All Human, Viking Historical, OC/Eric...Aine had planned to stay at home for her whole life despite the fear she had of her father. But when Eric the Viking enters her life, nothing can ever be the same
1. The Market

Eric and his men had secured their ship and had taken two rooms at the inn near their campsite. He'd never been to an inn before and found the concept interesting. He and top two men would take the rooms and the rest of his band would hunker down near the ship for the few nights they stayed in this foreign place. They had been gone from home for close to a month now. The time for raiding was over for now. He had to travel to find this new market place and had not taken any slaves for this reason. He was very shocked to hear that no people were sold in this land. He still had no idea how he would ensure they had enough hands in the fields unless he tried to find a new place to raid, while still making it home on time.

While visiting markets wasn't exactly novel, it seemed to be becoming more and more popular. People said the world was changing. Eric had seen change before and had caused change in the lives of other many a time - usually when he tore through their towns taking goods and new able-bodied slaves. He truly didn't see what all the fuss was about.

He was hoping to buy a nice piece of jewelry for his sister who was quickly approaching adulthood, apart from that this whole trip did nothing but annoy him.

He looked over when he heard the crunch of thick boots on the gravel pathway. Four of his men were coming toward him, ready to walk to this market. They decided to not pay the fee to rent horses from the inn keeper and he hoped the walk wouldn't be too long.

"Are you ready?"

He nodded curtly and began to walk, his men following behind him.

They walked for less than an hour but saw nothing resembling a market place. They saw many trees, some small garden, one large farm, a block of home, and a long pathway surrounded by trees. He though about venturing near the homes to his right to ask for directions, but felt too embarrassed. It was a large market place, not far from the inn, how could he not find it?

From the corner of his eye, he saw someone looking at him. He did not want her to know he noticed her so he didn't turn his head. This denied him a good overview of her person, but he decided already that she was no threat to him. She hesitated for a moment before approaching him. He noted that she kept a reasonable distance from him. She was no threat, but he was very might be.

"You look lost." Her voice sounded kind.

He turned toward her. She was much smaller than he was, her head only coming up to his chest. She looked healthy and he imagined her curves were very soft. He couldn't help but note her large breasts which appeared to be straining against her gown. He wondered what her status was since she was clean, seemed well spoken, but wore cheap clothing with no jewelry. Her red hair was pinned to the top of her head with two curls hanging loose around her face. He forgot about her breasts once he saw her green eyes. He stepped closer to get a better look and found small gold lines in her iris.

"I find myself unable to locate the market." He said surprising his men.

"I'll take you there."

She began to walk in the direction he had just come from. He raised his eyebrow as this girl just expected he'd follow her. He smiled when he realized he was going to do just that. The people in their homes began to watch as these big foreign men moves behind this young girl. A few of the towns people, the ones with less shame, didn't try to cover the fact that they were staring at the scene as it played out.

A woman called out to the girl as she walked.

"You shouldn't be walked with those men. It's not appropriate."

Eric was less than pleased by this nosey woman's comments. The girl, his new tour guide, looked at her inquisitively. He immediately knew the look on her face was feigned.

"It makes me really sad to hear that anyone would think not helping someone in need is the appropriate thing to do." she said and kept walking.

His face broke out into a smile. He didn't like being classified as 'someone in need', but loved her rather diplomatic response.

Although he didn't know it, his tour guide wasn't an idiot. She observed that many people were watching them and she was safe from these strangers as long as others watched. She also knew that while some might question her actions, she was simply being polite. Times were changing. Her home wouldn't survive, more or less thrive, if they didn't start trading more. They need to expand and welcome people with wealth to come and put their money into her county's economy. Her people were kind and generous - and that needed to be extended to travelers now as well.

She turned down the path he passed up, with all the trees. He wondered how they were going to get to this market going this way. He couldn't see anything but trees. Having lived here her whole life, she knew exactly where she was going and knew they'd have witnesses monitoring them the whole way there.

She walked down a few yards and turned between two trees. Eric was right behind her and was surprised to see another farm house with a small pathway, going left, away from the house. He never expected there to be another path or a home between the cluster of trees. They stepped onto the camouflaged path and were greeted with more stares. Eric could see the market place from where they were standing.

He noticed her moving slightly to one side of the path. Before he could inquire about what she was doing, she darted over and picked up an object he couldn't make out, that an elderly man had dropped. The man was obviously having a hard time bending down to reach it. Eric hadn't even noticed. He was pleased at how kind this stranger was. She walked right back to the path and looked at him. She looked sheepish, as though she didn't know which would have been less polite - to leave the men who she was guiding or to let the old man struggle. When she saw him smile, she smiled back, happy he wasn't offended, before turning back to the road.

A small child ran up, shouting 'hi' to his Good Samaritan. When the little tike saw him, she got quiet and took a step back. Eric was a huge man, as were many Vikings, but he was even large for being a Norseman. He and his band must of looking like warring monsters to such a little girl. Without glancing back and with no hesitation, his guide walked over and picked the child up.

"Hey you!"

The child looked toward him once more.

"Can you come play today?"

"Maybe later. If I have any time, I promise I'll stop over. Deal?" She said in a sweet voice.

The child nodded and smiled. She gave her a humorous smacking kiss on her chubby cheek before placing her back down.

"Bye."

"Bye-bye"

They were back to walking and Eric found himself growing more and more fascinated.

It wasn't long at all before they entered the market place. The difference in the noise level from the trading posts compared to the block of farm houses they walked past, was deafening. Most of Eric's men began to scatter and only his top two men, his best friends, stayed with him. He took another moment to look at this woman. In some part of his mind, he realized she wasn't even the most beautiful he'd seen in his travels, but he couldn't remember the last time he stared at someone like this.

"Thank you." He told her politely.

"You're welcome. Are you and your men staying long?" She asked out of curiosity. She hoped he'd have good experiences in the town square and not think poorly of her home due to some of the gossip mongers who'd watched her lead them to the market.

"Yes." He said, surprising his men greatly. "You come from a beautiful place."

"I know." She laughed. "Have a nice day."

She turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Eric called out. "What's your name?"

"Aine."

Her named sounded like "awn-ya" and he immediately began to work on pronouncing it correctly.

"I'm Eric. Thank you again, Aine."

"It was no trouble, Eric." She said and walked away.

Eric tried his best to shop. They needed to buy all the materials they lacked after raiding. He wanted to purchase gifts for his family. He was distracted and could hardly listen as the shop keepers hawked their products at him. He would be of no use if anyone was hoping he'd show off his supreme bartering skills today.

Aine has stayed on his mind the whole time. He had no idea why he was so intrigued. He found himself annoyed. It wasn't as if he was in desperate need of a woman. He had a short encounter with a prostitute a town over from the one they raided three days ago. He'd also had the serving girl at the inn flick her tongue over her lips after smiling at him. He could go back right now and disappear into one of the rooms with her. But he found himself uninterested.

He decided he needed more information. Maybe if he learned things from others, he could figure out why he cared about this girl. He found one of his men, a young boy actually, and told him that he was going to the tavern and if he was needed he would return to the inn before nightfall.

He had little trouble finding the bar, even during the afternoon there were men gathering outside with their drinks enjoying the breeze. He walked in and noticed everyone turn to stare at him. He looked at the bartender and immediately relaxed his shoulders. The man was fearful of this Viking coming in and causing a problem. Eric knew he'd have a hard time getting answers because he was a stranger and he knew he'd get no answers, what so ever, if he was seen a threat. He had to be charming and he might even have to bribe someone.

He sat down and asked for some ale. He planned to drink sparingly, but enough that he'd seem like he fit in well with the locals. The stench of drink on the man next to him told him that being in the bar was probably a daily event for him. He sat and nursed his mug quietly for a few minutes.

"What brings you here, new man?" asked a middle-aged man, with a scar on his left cheek and no gold on his fingers.

"I wanted a drink after being in the market." Eric said neutrally.

The man cocked his eyebrow and looked at the bartender.

"You've had that drink for a while now. Are you sure that's all you're here for?"

Eric thought about this carefully. He didn't want to blurt out that he was here for information about one of their local women, but he could not lie again now and get any answers later.

"I do have some questions...well one actually."

"What question do you have mister?" The bar-keep inquired.

The two men were unsure of whether or not to trust this foreigner. But they were curious as well.

"What do you gentlemen know about a girl named Aine?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

The men glanced at one another.

"She's a good girl." He paused. "Very helpful."

"Responsible for her age." Offered the drunken man, nearest Eric, who'd been silent thus far.

"She's too smart for a woman." Added the Bartender.

Eric thought this over. He liked what he saw from her already. He knew she was helpful and could believe that she was mature for her age. She didn't giggle like the other women her age who threw themselves at him. She was well spoken and handled that nosey woman with ease. He decided he had to stop thinking about this and just make an action. His gut told him this was a good idea and he was right to take an interest in this girl.

"Do you know where she lives?" Eric asked.

"Why?" The men looked toward each other with confused and wary looks on their faces.

"I want to thank her." He smiled.

Eric went back to the market and spotted his second in command and his best friend, Bjorn.

"I'm going to her home." Eric stated without preamble.

Bjorn looked shocked and asked Eric incredulously, "Are you going to do what I think you are going to do?"

"Depends what you think." Eric said and walked away.


	2. Aine's Father

~ ~ ~ 2 ~ ~ ~

Eric found the small cottage with ease – far more ease than he had that market. He was currently sitting across from a man who he was trying, with great difficulty, to not offend. He was an older man and it was apparent years of drink and neglecting his health had made him look worse. He had thin arms, showing his laziness, and a bulging gut. He didn't smell particularly foul, but like cheap ale. Eric still found him distasteful to every sense and instinct he had.

"What are you here for…Viking?" The man asked.

Eric raised his eyebrow. He was unsure how to proceed. He didn't know why he was here and was wondering if he had gone insane. This man was making it much harder. Eric was tempted to point out that he was a Norseman by ethnicity and going a-viking was just a part of his culture ; only one part at that. He also wondered how stupid it would be to point out that the last man who spoke to him with an uneven tone had his tongue removed by Eric's dagger. He decided to keep these thoughts to himself and focus on why he was there.

"Your daughter." Said Eric. He'd decided to act very laconic and try to get a feel for this foul man.

"What has she done?" The man spat out.

Although she hadn't really ever brought someone to his door complaining about her, he knew that girl was nothing but trouble. He was a cursed man for sure. First having that stupid waste of a wife, who had to make his life an even worse hell than it already was by dying. Then instead of a son, that bitch left him a daughter ; a stupid girl with a big mouth who never did enough to earn her keep.

"Nothing." Eric said surprised. "She assisted me. She's a nice girl."

The man huffed, as thought he was too stupid to speak like a civilized being and instead made primal noises as a form of expression. "Not really."

Eric was becoming highly irritated with this man. Aine was indeed a nice girl. He could tell by how she came to him to be his guide, how she helped that old man, and how that child ran to her like it was something she did everyday. The men in the bar also confirmed his opinion of her. He decided this pig was unworthy of such a daughter.

"Why are you here then? She did nothing wrong, she helped you. I don't see what purpose you have for coming here?" The man said sounding less hostile now.

Eric wanted this conversation to end. He decided to just come out with it.

"Is she promised to any one?"

The man cocked his eyebrow. He was shocked at this man's boldness. How could he ask such a question when he was a stranger?

He actually didn't care who the man was. No one had ever asked about Aine before. He assumed they just saw what a waste she was – but if this man was that stupid, he'd have no issue taking his money from him.

"What would you offer for her?" He asked.

Eric was taken aback. He was all but certain that even in this land, fathers didn't ask perspective husbands what they'd give as a bride price. It actually sounded like he was trying to sell her.

_Like a slave_, Eric thought, before dismissing the crazy notion from his mind.

"If she isn't promised, what is her bride price?" Eric asked making his intention clear.

The man looked at this Viking in front of him.

_He wants to marry Aine? What a fool, _he thought to himself.

But he was no fool. He knew heathens like the large one in front of him practiced slavery and other forms of barbarism. He wondered if she would be worth more as a slave than a bride. He really didn't care as long as he got a decent price. He decided to start high.

When Eric heard the man's first price his eyes bulged and he laughed.

"We're talking about a girl…not a herd of horses and a farm."

Eric decided it was time to stop laughing as the man began to haggle with him. As Eric got close to a price he was comfortable with the man began to get upset. Truthfully, Eric would pay a decent price without complaint. He even planned on the possibility of paying an expensive one. But after meeting this man, he didn't want to give him anything extra.

"You are robbing me!" He yelled at Eric.

_She is leaving here one way or the other_, Eric thought. He immediately stopped. How could he think that? What did that mean? Was he actually considering just taking her? He shook his head and tried to gather his wits.

"My final offer stands..." The man was about to yell but Eric continued. "But I won't ask for any silver from you as my bride's father."

The man looked sour and angry. He was shocked that these savages had fathers pay the dowry. He assumed it was a concept beyond them and far too adverse to their greedy mindsets. He realized this was the best he could get and that it was above the minimum.

"Fine." He said bitterly.

Eric pulled out his pouch and handed over the silver and gold that would serve as the bride price. The man reached for the money and began to recount it. This was a horribly rude gesture and an implication that Eric was trying to cheat him. Eric decided to let the insult go. He had what he wanted; he had Aine. This was the thought that gave him some peace as the man finished insulting him with his counting.

Aine walked into the house. She had a large bowl of fruits from her garden. She felt the sweat on her back and around her hairline. It was very hot under the sun today. She rinsed her hands as best she could, but knew she'd have to scrub them hard later to get all the dirt from under her nails.

She looked up and saw Eric sitting with her father. She was shocked. There was no reason for him to be there. Nervousness rose in her as she kicked the door shut with her foot and the two men looked up at her.

Eric was pleased to see Aine. She looked messy, but he still thought she was beautiful. He liked the loose braid she wore and how frizzy her red hair was. He imagined it looked that way when she woke up in the morning too. He also noted how tired she looked. When they went back to his home – her new home – he'd make sure she didn't have to labor too hard.

"Greet your future husband." Her father spoke.

The bowl fell from Aine's hands. Eric was shocked. He couldn't believe this man! How could he just blurt that out? How could he just tell his daughter she was going to marry a man she just met, before she even sat down?

Eric knew this man was not an example of this country. No one gives this kind of information to someone as they walk through a door. This callous swine had officially earned Eric's hatred.

Before she could bend to pick up the mess, her father jumped from his chair shouting at her. He lifted his hand to strike the clumsy girl. Eric saw his intent and grabbed his wrist, none to gently.

"Do not touch what is mine." He growled in the older man's face.

Eric wanted to kill him. He caused this whole problem. His words made her drop the bowl – and even if they hadn't, she didn't throw the fruit to the ground on purpose. He had no reason to raise a hand to her.

Eric moved to the ground in front of her and helped her pick up what was dropped. She said nothing and tried her hardest to not start shaking. She didn't want this. She didn't know this man who referred to her as 'his'.

Eric noted how quiet she was. He bit his tongue to keep from cursing. He knew she would be shocked at him deciding to marry her, but he hoped to tell her gently. He hoped to promise her all the things her father didn't think to ask him – a good home, her base needs always being tended to, fine jewelry, leisure whenever possible, materials she asked for when they had enough silver to buy them, and any happiness he could provide for her. But instead his betrothed wouldn't look him in the eye and he wouldn't speak these words in front of her father.

Eric looked back at the older man who was watching them intently. He turned to her. She looked up at him. He noticed she had a smudge of dirt on her right cheek. It was almost cute.

"I'll be back for you soon." He said softly.

He looked at her one more time, wondering what to do and thinking her eyes were gorgeous. Aine realized she stopped breathing and exhaled hard.

He couldn't help himself, he couldn't resist, and he leaned close and placed his lips against hers. His kiss was chaste and she was too shocked to pull away. When he moved back, she inhaled sharply. She knew she had to calm down and wanted to hide her shock. Her eyes fluttered rapidly. Eric smiled, rose, and walked out of the house.

The thought didn't dawn on him until he was already back at the inn – Aine's father had married her off to a man whose name he didn't even know.


	3. Arrangements

~ ~ ~ 3 ~ ~ ~

Eric found some of his men gathered in the hall of the inn. He motioned for Bjorn to come to the doorway.

"I'm betrothed." Eric announced to him.

Bjorn wasn't surprised. He had a feeling this was Eric's plan. He had no idea why Eric was being so precocious. It wasn't really his place to question Eric, though as best friends he probably wouldn't have cared. He trusted Eric and was actually glad to see his friend being happy ; something he hadn't seemed to be this whole trip.

"Tell all the men to be back by nightfall." Eric instructed.

Bjorn nodded.

The men walked away from one another. Bjorn would ensure the men already at the inn or near their campsite to stay where they were for the night. He's dispatch a couple of the guys to round up any of their band who were making around at the local taverns or still wondering around the market.

Eric went to prepare to be wed.

Meanwhile, Aine was cooking dinner trying to figure out how her life could have changed so drastically in one day. She rarely thought about the future and knew most of the women her age were already married. And all the others were at the very least promised to someone or to a religious order. She had never had an interest in boys her age or the older unattached men around her home. Most of her time was spent thinking only a few days in advance. She felt foolish to not have considered that one day, she'd have to forge a whole new life. She wished that day wasn't going to happen so soon.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her father.

"What did you do with him?" He asked accusingly.

"N-n-nothing." She stuttered.

Had she? Did she do something to indicate she wanted to wed with him?

"He seemed to know you well enough to kiss you." He said harshly.

Aine made no reply. She didn't think he knew her enough to kiss her or to marry her. Even though some brides didn't meet their husbands until their wedding day, but those men knew their families. This man – Eric – was a stranger to her and her people.

She knew she shouldn't say anything more. She'd obviously been mistaken today in some way and if she kept talking, her father would only become more angry with her.

Her father recognized she wasn't going to speak, which was fine with him.

"Well, He's cheap!" He sneered. "I had to argue with all my might to get a decent bride price for you."

He took a large swig of his ale.

Aine shook with fear. Not only had she enticed this Viking, but he didn't find her to have worth. She wondered how low she sold for – that's what this was, she was sold. Maybe other women benefited from a bride price and a dowry, but she knew she wouldn't. Her father would keep every cent for himself and she doubted she'd inherit anything when he died. She was also sure her husband wouldn't give her anything of her own to keep.

Her father had traded her, traded her for a low amount, to a man neither of them really knew. She wanted to be sick.

She served her father his dinner in silence.

"I'm not hungry. Can I go to my room for the night?" She asked.

"Yea, get out." He waved her away.

She walked to her room and changed into her night gown. She laid in bed and let all her thoughts rush over her. She cried herself to sleep.

As Aine was falling asleep, Eric sat outside with Bjorn enjoying the cool night air.

"Will your parents be angry?" Bjorn asked, breaking the silence.

"Maybe." Replied Eric.

He might have been acting rashly, but he still have some whit about him. He had been married before. He'd actually been widowed less than a year. His wife had died, along with their babe, in childbirth. He didn't love Hildr, but she was a nice girl. She could never make him laugh, but she made him smile with her attentiveness to him. He was excited to learn he'd be a father. He dreamt of a babe even more beautiful than his siblings, who had all been adorable. Hildr wouldn't allow him in the room where she labored. He wasn't there when her blood poured from her body and she pushed out a newborn with a cord wrapped around his neck. He heard her scream and the noise haunted him.

He helped to lay her and his babe to rest. He burned the stained bedding and didn't sleep in his room for the next two nights. The village's midwife, Bera, came to the lake the third day after he buried his wife. She told him she'd seen life and death, sometimes both within minutes of one another. She told him that the gods and this life were capricious. But she knew one thing above all else: you couldn't live if your only concern was fearing death.

He allowed the older woman to wipe a tear from his eye and pat his cheeks. She told him he'd smile again once he accepted life once more.

She had been right.

Eric reasoned that he already fulfilled one political marriage, which was enough. He had many living siblings who could marry for land, friendships with other families, wealth, and to keep peace.

"I'm moving next summer." Eric added.

"Are you certain?" asked Bjorn.

"I've been thinking about it…its time."

In truth, Eric should have left months ago. Their long house wasn't built for such a large group. He had always been independent and wanted to live on his own. He was going to have his own home, his own land, men with loyalty to him alone, and people serving him as the master.

Bjorn nodded and decided it would be wise to change the topic.

"You were angry when you returned."

"I didn't care for her father."

That was an understatement. He couldn't stop thinking about how that man made his skin crawl. The scene where he stopped the pig from striking Aine kept replying in his head. He knew it wasn't the first time that has happened. He hated to leave her there. His went cold at the thought that she could be being struck right now. Surely that man remembered his words and knew to not touch his bride. But then again, he seemed very stupid.

"Can you gather two or three men to leave with us?"

"When?" asked Bjorn surprised.

"As soon as possible." Eric replied.

He knew he was acting odd. He admitted he didn't understand his fascination with Aine or his urgency to make her his.

But it wasn't until this moment when he realized, he was crazy.


	4. Rescue

~ ~ ~ 4 ~ ~ ~

Eric walked to the door of Aine's home. His two men, Bjorn and Sven, dismounted and followed behind him. Eric rapped his fist against the door. Her father opened it after a few minutes looking ornery and tired.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

"I'm here for my bride." Eric replied calmly.

The man looked enraged. "You are joking!"

"No." Eric pushed past him. His men began to glare menacingly at the foul father. He wisely stayed silent.

"Sit down." Bjorn commanded Aine's father pointing to a chair.

He complied because he knew these Vikings could and would kill him. While the laws of his country might avenge his death, he'd prefer to just placate these monsters and live.

Eric walked to Aine's room. He wasn't sure which bedroom belonged to her, but his first guess was correct. He quietly opened the door and eased it shut once more. He saw her curled up on her side, her hair spread out over her pillow. He sat beside her and smiled. He might have been crazy but this felt right.

"Wake up." He leaned down to her ear and sat back up.

Aine was aware of a new weight on the bed and someone telling her to wake up. She tired to force her eyes open, but it took a few times to accomplish that feat. She had a hard time placing the soft, kind voice. Her eyes first noticed long blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She realized how her visitor was.

"Eric?" She said. "What time is it?"

"Its late. We're going to leave." He said gently. He didn't know what her reaction would be.

"Now?" She asked shocked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I know you're tired." He smiled at her softly. "Get dressed."

She eyes snapped shut as he pushed her loose hair away from her face. She felt the pit of her stomach sink lower and her heart began to thump.

Eric enjoyed moving her crimson locks behind her ear. Her skin felt soft against his rough fingertips. He noted once more how nervous she was and decided to just ignore it. She'd had a hard and eventful day and to top it off, he woke her in the middle of the night to leave. He left the room as quietly as he did when he was trying not to wake her.

Aine moved slowly. She tried to control her breathing and her fear. She pulled a gown out of her trunk. Checking to make sure her door was shut, she pulled her nightgown over her head and left it on the foot of her bed. She reached for her shift and pulled it on. She sat on the bed and tried once more to relax, as she stepped into her dress.

She managed to get all the button done up fairly quickly. She didn't want to waste much more time. She had no idea what mood Eric, her father, and whoever else her betrothed had brought with him would be in. she didn't want to go out there with anyone being too angry, namely with her. She also worried about Eric coming back in her room before she was dressed because she wasn't moving fast enough.

She took a deep breath and walked out. She saw Eric leaning comfortably against a wall, two other light-haired men making themselves comfortable at the dining table, and her father scowling from his seat at the head of the table. Eric smiled when he saw her.

"Once you get your things and say your goodbyes, we can leave." Her soon-to-be-husband said to her.

Her father grunted and was more once silenced by the glares from the Vikings.

Aine turned around and went back to her room. She grabbed her clothing and the few possessions she had. After she had everything put together, she looked around to make sure she was forgetting nothing. She remembered the jewelry. She carried her things out and one of Eric's men reached to take them from her. She was unsure, but saw Eric nod when he did so. She moved to the corner of the room and began to push the floorboard back. This was the hiding place her father kept for their valuables. Before she could grasp the jewelry box, her father was up and yelling.

"HEY! Stop that now, girl!"

Eric's men rose to block the man's path. Eric put his hand in the air to silence everyone. He walked and knelt beside his bride.

"Are those yours?"

"Yes…" Aine paused. "No. They were my mother's."

"Are they suppose to go to you?"

Aine looked toward her father. He was still being silenced by the two large men who advanced every time he tried to speak. She wondered what he'd do if she took them without his approval. She was entitled to them. A mother gave her jewelry to her daughter.

Eric cupped her chin and turned her head toward him. He noted that she went still whenever her father spoke and was now completely silent when she looked at him.

She looked in his eyes and whispered 'yes'.

The thought dawned on Aine at the same time she answered Eric ; her father didn't have control over her anymore. It was Eric she'd have to answer to. It was Eric she'd have to worry about. And it was Eric who was right beside her, holding her face in his large hand, and looking at her wanting an answer.

Eric nodded. "Pack them."

He moved away from her so she had enough room. He saw her father begin to speak and his patience disappeared. He had tried to not yell at her father in front of her.

"She will take what is hers. Don't push me." He commanded.

Aine pulled out the heirlooms and put them with the rest of her things. She stood there idly. She didn't know what to say or do. She didn't know if she wanted to run from this tense room or stay here as long as she could so she wouldn't have to leave her home. Her father had no love for her, but she only knew this house and the people who lived in her village.

Eric noticed her standing there quietly. "Are you done?"

Aine nodded. She did so without thinking but realized this was a good thing. There was no use in lying to bide more time. It would only serve to annoy or upset Eric.

"Say your goodbyes." Eric said not unkindly. He could tell there wasn't warm feelings in this home, but knew he would react badly if he was moved from his home and family the way he was removing her. He admitted to himself he was curious what would happen now between his bride-to-be and her father.

There was tension in the room and a deep silence. No one seemed to move.

"Goodbye." Aine said softly.

Her father grunted and turned away.

Eric put his arm around her and guided her out the door. He was utterly disgusted with her father. He wanted to strike the man and so did his men.

Bjorn and Sven began to fasten her things to the horses. Aine's eyes didn't leave the ground once.

"Are you alright?" Eric asked her softly. She nodded.

He knew she wasn't, but there was nothing he could do for her right now as they stood outside. He went to help with the horses. He was soon very displeased as he found they could fit all of the packing and the people on the three mounts. He had played to pull Aine in front of him when they rode. He muttered a curse and thought about what they could do.

"Do you have a horse?"

"Yes."

"Can you ride?"

"Yes."

He noted that she only gave one word answers. He'd talk to her once they got settled at the inn. Bjorn was listening to the conversation and Eric nodded to him to get the horse. As he began to move, Aine saw an opportunity to find some space.

"I can get her." She said quickly, shocking Eric. It was the most she'd said since he first woke her up.

"Go ahead" He said and she walked away fast.

She wanted to be alone. She wanted to think. She wanted to stop standing there around them not knowing what to do. She didn't want to look foolish but felt such pent up nervousness that she began flexing her fingers and scratching her palm while they readied the horses. She found the stable with her mare and leaned against the door taking a few deep breaths. She thought about just running away, taking the horse out the back of the and riding until she couldn't ride anymore. But where would she go? What would happen when Eric realized she ran? What if he caught her?

While she was having these thoughts, Eric was helping to get pack the last of the stuff on his horse.

"I'm surprised you didn't kill him." Sven mused.

"We should have killed him." Bjorn added.

"Quiet. She might hear you." Eric silenced them.

Aine knew she had to go with him and she had to start moving before he came looking for her. She lead the horse out. Eric noted how small she looked. Not just because of the large animal, but because she pushed her body against its side, kept her arms wrapped around herself and the horse, and had her head lowered.

"Ready?" Eric asked her.

"Yes" She whispered with a nod.

"Do you need help?"

"No."

She proceeded to climb on her horse. Eric was pleased with her independence.

He looked back at his men and betrothed sitting on their mounts.

"I'll lead."

He sped off.

"You can follow, mistress." Bjorn directed her.

She was surprised at her new title and didn't know how to feel about it. She rode off to catch up with Eric.

Eric began to think he should slow down, but when he turned his head back, Aine was almost beside him. She rode fast and had a determined look on her face. She almost surpassed him before slowing down. He gave her a look and sped his horse up. She followed, keeping pace the whole time.

They got to the inn and dismounted. Eric was excited. Bjorn and Sven were intrigued. And Aine was nervous as hell.


	5. Marriage

**I've been looking for a co-author to help me with my ideas, balancing my time, and possibly picking up slack when I get too busy. I've gotten some help with Night Cry and am so happy for that! I'll still take any suggestions or comments anyone might have.**

**but I still have Deadly Words and other fics from other sites laying around. If you are interested, feel free to send me a message!**

please review....reviews keep me moving...

**~ ~ ~ 5 ~ ~ ~**

Aine began to tether her horse to the post outside. She kept fumbling while making her knots. She was intentionally working slowly to begin with, but her trembling fingers were impeding her greatly. Eric and his men had already finished and had handed her belongings off to two of the other men to put away. Eric needed to talk with his men and found it best to give Aine some time to herself.

"You both will bear witness and tell the men before she leaves our room tomorrow."

Eric had to marry her even though it was the middle of the night. He couldn't take her to his room and marry her in the morning, she'd be shamed. He also wanted to ensure his men made no mistakes around her the next day. She was going to be their mistress and he wanted her to fall into her position with ease. He decided two witnesses were enough.

His men nodded but were unsure. No one had ever really told Eric 'no' – at least not that they could recall.

Eric turned and walked toward Aine. He was an observant man. She was nervous and the more she tried to hide it, the more it showed. He stood in front of her and purposely blocked his men's view of her. He assumed she was still rattled from their quick betrothal and the coldness of her father's goodbye. He also wondered if she was nervous about being alone with him. His first wife came from a more sexually open culture and he remembered her still having a bit of anxiety.

He was honestly happy she didn't yell at him for waking her and marrying her in the middle of the night. He wanted to make his being inconsiderate up to her. He would start by helping to conceal her feelings from his men and by relaxing her.

"You are a good rider." He complimented her.

"Thank you,"

"I was impressed."

Aine hesitated. She wondered why he was engaging in this small talk. She still couldn't wrap her mind around what he was thinking. She didn't expect to see him again after they departed in the market place. She obviously couldn't have been more wrong since she came home from her chores to find out that he was marrying her. Nothing could have shocked her more than to see him sitting on her bed in the middle of the night. She was scared to know what was going to happen, but not knowing was killing her.

"What happens next?" She said fearfully.

"I'm going to marry you." Eric said calmly.

"How?"

She knew how people in her village married. She heard of the weird customs of the Druid ceremonies and had met a woman whose sister married a Dane who explained how the marriage was carried out. She had no idea how Vikings married.

"My men will be out witnesses as we exchange our vows."

Eric knew this was not completely traditional, but it would suffice.

She was still confused. What was she suppose to vow?

Eric saw the look on her face.

"Just tell me everything you will do for me while we are married."

Eric reached for her hand. Aine hesitated. She didn't know if she was ready for this. But she had no choice. She took her groom's hand.

Eric led them to his men and turned their bodies. He was facing her and his men could see their profiles. He took both of her hands, holding one in each of his, and whispered to her.

"I'll start."

Eric took a deep breath and readied himself to say his vows loud enough and with conviction.

"I promise that I will respect, care for, protect, honor, and cherish my wife, Aine. I pray the gods bless us with many children and a long life."

Aine listened to his words and tried to focus. She knew he wasn't going to do these things and wondered why he bothered lying. She tried to see if there were any words she should repeat back to him.

Eric smiled and motioned for her to begin.

"I promise to…" She struggled with her thoughts. "Respect, honor…and obey my…husband Eric…ummm..."

She didn't know what to say. She had a hard time choking out the word husband. He was her husband. She was married. She felt faint.

"Babies." Eric suggested.

"And to bear his children." She nodded her head indicated she was finished.

Eric noted her word choice. Everything seemed to be a chore and every word dripped with deferment

He lifted her hands and kissed each one, before turning to his men.

"We'll see you in the morning." He led her to their room in the inn and she meekly followed.

Eric knew she was scared. He wanted to comfort her and couldn't figure out how. He wanted to tell her he didn't typically rush through things and now that they were married, he would go back to his nice even pace. He wanted to tell her that his only intention was to put her in bed and let her sleep as late as she wanted. But he had a feeling if he explained this, she'd only get more upset.

He watched her move near the corner of the room. She looked awkward. She looked tense. Eric bolted the door and moved closer to her.

Aine moved back as quick as she could. It was a reflex. She couldn't explain why she did it or what went through her mind. She stopped herself. She was married now. He had a legal right to her…everything; to her everything. He had the right to come near her, to touch her, to whisk her way from her home, and to punish her if she displeased him.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry."

Eric heard her repeat the word over and over. She forced herself to hold still. She braced herself and made herself swear she wouldn't move again.

Eric decided he had to tell her what his plans were. She was too high strung right now not to do so. He hoped she'd relax enough that he could hug her, maybe even place his arm around her as she slept.

His wishes didn't come true. He reached out and grasped her arm. She winced. When he saw her face he knew it wasn't from fear ; it was from pain.


	6. Bruises

**Hey All! thank you for the reviews and private messages - greatly appreciated. feel free to review this chapter to. writers can never have too much feedback!**

**I'm still open to anyone looking to help with my fics or who is in need of a co-author. **

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**~ ~ ~ 6 ~ ~ ~**

Eric studied her face for a moment. He took her wrist and began to roll up her sleeve. It would not go past her elbow. Although he grabbed her upper arm, he saw a small bruise, almost healed, on the underside of her forearm. His mind processed her terror, the pain in her eyes, the mark on her arm, and the memory of him stopping her father from striking her. He knew she had to have another bruise on her arm. He felt rages and disbelief fill his entire body.

"Take your gown off."

Aine inhaled deeply. Eric wanted to kick himself. He said it without thinking of the implications. He watched as her hands were raised to the small buttons on the front of her gown. Her fingers couldn't seem to hold them well. She was shaking and kept losing her grip. She only made it to the third button before he took both of her hands in his.

Aine looked up at him, not knowing what he was doing. She was too scared to think. When talking about this event in the future, she wouldn't even remember everything that happened. She'd recount it as a blur.

"We aren't going to…. consummate our marriage tonight. I just want to see your arm."

He struggled with his words, trying to keep control of the situation.

Aine breathed a sigh of relief when he said this. She didn't even get nervous Eric finished undoing the buttons of her gown. He pushed the gown from her shoulder. Slowly her white skin began to darken. His eyes landed on the bruise. It was shaped like a man's hand.

"Are there more?" he voice shook with rage.

Aine's voice was quiet. "Yes."

"Where?" Although his tone sounded even, Eric's thoughts were firing rapidly across his mind and anger, shame, and disgust ripped through him.

"My back, my side, my…" Aine felt herself grow embarrassed. She struggled with her words.

"Your bottom?" Eric clarified.

She nodded. Eric looked at her for a moment before casting his eyes to the floor. He needed to see her body. He didn't want to scare her with his anger or make her panic if he removed her clothes. He also knew who did this; he knew it in his gut. He couldn't allow this to go unpunished.

"I want you to – I'm going to leave the room – to take your clothes off and get under the blankets."

Aine was petrified and didn't move a muscle. She had stopped commanding herself to stay still and didn't think she could move now even if she wanted to. Eric cupped her chin.

"I need to see your back; your bruises."

Aine did her best to process his words and believe them. She nodded her head.

Eric struggled for a moment, wishing there for more to say. He turned and left the room.

She didn't move until the door closed. It felt like an eternity as he walked, moved the bolt, pulled the handle, and disappeared into the hall. She didn't want to do this. No matter what he said and really, no matter what he did, she didn't want to take her clothes off. The same thoughts from earlier that night rang in her head : she was married, she was his, he could come back in the room and see she wasn't doing as he said. This time she knew he was coming back to the room.

What if he walked in before she got under the blankets?

What if he walked in and she was still fully dressed and he tore her gown off?

These thoughts propelled her to finish stripping her gown off. She hesitated once she got to her shift. She wanted to keep the thin piece of fabric on. She told herself she'd come this far. She just needed to pull it off and bury herself under the blankets.

She took a deep breath and did just that.

She laid there, covered from her toes to the bottom of her chin, shaking. She crossed her legs, pulled her arms over her chest, and fisted her hands around the bedding. She thought about what would happen next. Should she yell and tell him she was ready?

But she wasn't. She wasn't ready for him to come back. She wasn't ready for any of this.

Eric waited outside the door, hoping he gave both of them enough time. He needed to quell his anger. He had to be patient for her sake. He couldn't take it any longer and rapped on the door.

"Aine?" He called. "Are you finished?"

"Yes." Her voice caught in her throat.

He walked in slowly and shut the door once more. He looked at her. Only her head was visible. Her eyes were wide. He thought about what to say. He was torn between prolonging this ordeal and not rushing her.

He pulled a chair from the corner near the bed. He sat down beside the bed.

"Roll over."

She turned without removing the blankets. Her arms stayed wrapped around her chest and she re-crossed her legs. She turned her head to see him. He leaned forward and slowly rolled the blanket down. His eyes flashed as he saw her body. Her breathing was heavy. He stopped his unveiling of her at the small of her back.

Her back was covered in welts and bruises. He knew those marks. He's seen them on criminals, on disobedient slaves, and on traitors. Before he realized what he was doing, he reached out and ran his fingers over her welts. Her body stiffened and he pulled back.

He cringed too. He never imagined having a wife who was so scared of him. He could never dream of any woman truly fearing him. He was never unfair or overly cruel.

"I'm going to look at…the rest now."

She nodded.

This time he pulled back until he couldn't see any more marks on her skin. The blanket rested above her knee. She felt so naked. He couldn't find any pleasure in her round bottom or the flair of her hips. He saw a mark on her side. He studied it, trying to figure out what it was.

It was from a kick. Someone had kicked her in her ribs. She must have already been down on the ground when it happened. He thought of having her rolls over to see if the bruise extended to her stomach but knew that would push her too far.

He gave her body one last look before covering her up.

She sighed as soon as he did.

"Is your father responsible?"

"Yes."

Eric paused.

"I want you to stay here. I will be back shortly." He said not unkindly. "Put your shift back on and go to sleep."

Aine was still quiet. She didn't want to speak, but could help herself. She muttered, "Where?"

Eric heard her perfectly. He couldn't tell her he was going to kill her father. He wouldn't lie either.

"I'm your husband. It's my job to protect you."

He left it at that, but Aine understood. He was going to go to her home, find her father, and hurt him. She wondered if he'd kill him and what it would mean if he did. She wondered how she not only ended up married to a stranger but one who could kill.

He kissed her forehead.

"Stay here and rest."

He left the room and she rose to pull her shift on. She didn't put her gown on. He hadn't told her too. She just wanted to sleep.

Eric found two of his men and had them stand out side of door. When asked if she would try to leave, he made sure to squash their implication that she was being held hostage. He told them his new wife would probably sleep, but if she inquired about him, they were to tell her to rest and that he would return as soon as he could.

He went to find Bjorn and Sven who were, thankfully, still awake.

"What is it?"

"We're going to her home." Eric turned and his baffled men followed.

"Why?"

"He beat her." Eric spat and got his horse ready to leave. The men could barely keep up as he mounted his beast.

"Badly?"

"Yes." Eric said quietly.

The men mounted their horse and left without another word. Eric understood now why she was so tense around him. He wished he would have taken her back with him the second she walked into the house after he paid the bride price. He should have known that man was too dangerous. He should have seen her fear and damned social norms once more to get her out of there. He as married for less than a quarter of a day and he already felt as though he failed his bride.

As the men drew around the back of Aine's home, she laid in bed at the inn, still awake. She closed her eyes and recited songs from her childhood in her head, until she finally drifted away.


	7. Avenging

HEY! I wanted to thank everyone for the review - its what writers live off of - and the PMs. I've gotten some help be it in encouragement, proof reading, story suggestions, or a kick in the butt telling me to sit down and write something. I'm so grateful

I'm happier with this chapter than I thought I would be. The next one is what really excites me and I alwreayd have a draft for it.

enjoy!

**please read and review**

**~ ~ ~ 7 ~ ~ ~**

Eric glanced round and when he saw no one, he walked to the front door. He tested the lock and decided he would have no issue getting in. The Viking slammed his shoulder in the door with all his might, the lock snapped, and he walked in with his men following closely behind.

Eric paid no attention to his men who were flanking him and listening for any signs that someone heard them break in. He glanced around. Every thing was dark except a distant glow coming from the bedroom where Aine's father slept. Bjorn did his best to secure the broken door against the frame. Eric motioned for his men to follow and he walked to the bedroom door. It was unlocked and he stepped in.

Aine's father laid in his bed, snoring loudly. It was unknown whether or not he left the candle burning for light or if he simply passed out before blowing it out. Dozens of thoughts crossed Eric's mind. He knew no matter what Aine asked him and no matter how honest he wanted his marriage to be, he wouldn't tell her he was excited at the prospect of killing this man.

The silence was ended as Eric let out a growl. Sven and Bjorn looked in the direction of their leader. Three pairs of Nordic eyes stared at a whip wrapped around the bedpost. Eric stepped closer and unwound the coiled leather. He positioned himself and with a hard look of determination, he raised it and struck.

The tail landed with a snap and the man woke up with a gasp.

"What the hell?" he yelped.

Eric brought the whip down hard again.

"I thought you would do well to learn what it is to be on this side of the whip."

Eric began to lash the man without stopping. His men stood back and watched as Eric's victim thrashed and became stuck in his blankets. He screamed and yelled curses. His skin soon split and he bled on his bed. Eric paid no attention to where the whip landed. He nearly smiled when the end of the tail fell across the abusive father's face.

Eric stopped as the man stood, wearing only his breeches, and began to command them to leave. The room was once again silent. It slowly dawned on Aine's father that he couldn't win. There was no way out of this room and no way he could take the three warriors in front of him.

"Wait." He put up his hands in defense. "I'm sorry she was marked. Perhaps I could pay you to ease your displeasure."

Eric shook with rage. This man didn't apologize even as he faced his imminent death. Instead he haggled, as he haggled for his daughter's marriage to a stranger, and assumed his son-in-law's anger was over the appearance of his daughter's body.

Eric thought about what he saw and how he felt about his wife's body. Selfishly, he realized he did recoil. He knew she was beautiful. He knew that once she healed her whole body would be beautiful. It crossed his mind that she might scar. He wondered if it would bother him. Would he see his wife's scars as he did his own? Or the scars of his men?

He also thought about the scars she carried that no one could see. What if he could never help her heal? What if she feared him for the rest of her life?

He decided that those marks, the unseen ones, were far worse; every welt on her body could never fade, every bruise could linger, and it would be a fair price to have her stop cowering.

Before Eric could react, Bjorn stepped forward and kicked the man in his side, shattering his ribs. Although Bjorn didn't know this, it was very fitting considering the mark left on Aine's side by her father's boot. Sven moved in and Eric couldn't tell if he was going to wail on the man as well or not. He lifted his hand and waved his men back.

"There only price I will settle for is the guarantee you'll never hurt anyone again."

Eric began to strike the man again with the whip and cornered him. He gave no thought as to where he hit him or how many times. Every time the man tried to move away, Eric only struck harder and faster. He managed to scurry a few feet from his spot only to be kicked back by both Bjorn and Sven. The more he cried, cursed, and eventually begged for his torture to end the more the men hated him.

Eric still felt rage rolling through his body when he forced himself to stop. He couldn't stay long. He could risk being caught. He couldn't leave Aine alone. He tossed aside the whip and walked toward the mewling, bloodied man. He pulled a knife from his belt, grabbed a fist of hair, and ripped his throat apart in one quick motion. He released the dying man, stood straight, and growled. His men had seen him in battles before and seen in fight in personal disputes. They couldn't explain how this moment was different ; how the same war noises from his throat seemed so much more barbaric, how his clenched muscles seemed harder, or how his face, which never showed kindness in the face of a fight, seemed much more colder.

He wiped his blade on the bedding next to him and tucked his weapon back in his belt. Without a word he walked from the room. His men shared a look before following him. There were no words spoken until they already began their ride back to the inn.

"We will have to leave early now." Bjorn said to break the silence.

"I know. Rouse the men and start packing as soon after sunrise as you manage."

The silence was back after Eric spoke. It was becoming almost unnerving to everyone but him. He was lost in his thoughts. His mind was consumed with worry and some regret. He could imagine doing anything different. It dawned on him that he might have wanted the final kill to be made by one of his men so he could tell his wife he wasn't her father's murderer. Nevertheless, he would not feel right allowing another man to do his job in avenging his wife. He felt confident they could leave without issue, but he knew they could return. His closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. He wasn't only removing Aine from her home, but he'd made it impossible for her to ever visit it again. He wondered how she would react when he returned and she learned all of this. He didn't even realize he'd sped up and moved beyond earshot of his men.

Bjorn and Sven could almost stand the silence if it wasn't for the slow pace they were forced to take. They wanted to draw no attention to themselves and make little noise. Eric had moved away and they pulled close together. Their voices were soft as they began to speak to one another.

"What do you think about this whole thing?" Sven asked.

"I trust Eric. He's never acted this way over anything, much less a girl he just met."

Bjorn and Eric were raised together. It seemed like they never spent a moment apart. It was joke amongst the men that Bjorn would accompany Eric and Hildr on their wedding night because they were so inseparable. He never knew this impulsiveness and need in Eric. He also knew that Eric rarely, if ever, heard the word 'no'. He would marry this girl if he wanted her, one way or another. Once Eric made his mind up, none but possibly, the Gods could persuade him otherwise. It was best to just accept it.

"If I wouldn't have met her, I'd swear she was an enchantress." Said Sven.

"No, I think it's clear to see that she doesn't have any guise about her."

"Except at the market – you couldn't tell she was abused. Its like he betrothed himself to one vibrant girl and married another altogether; a quiet little creature you'd hardly notice if you saw her."

Bjorn made no reply. Sven's account was very accurate. He wondered what made her change. In his mind, Eric should have been a threat to her just by being foreign, being a Norseman, and being so very large a warrior. There was no mistaking who and what Eric was. His Viking eyes, hair, weapons, and clothing. He built body, his astute eyes and ears, the confidence in his voice, and the wisdom in his actions. Eric was a born leader and lucky enough to be born into a position that called for him to lead. Often weak men were born with an inheritance they couldn't handle and the strong sat idly in the lower ranks of these men, denied by birth the right to lead as they were ready to do. It seemed like a blessing for all that Eric's parents has birthed a leader who only grew into a wiser man with each passing year.

To Bjorn, it seemed inconceivable that Aine's rescue was meet with such trepidation from her. He wondered if she would bolt before they boarded the ship, but he figured even if she had the inclination she'd be too fearful to propel herself to run. He feared for his friend and this new marriage he began. He feared for Eric's strong heart, that was bruised so by the loss of his first wife and child. While warriors went to Valhalla, widowed husbands were left to roam the earth and their wives sent on to an unknown after life. He also had the perverse thought about what Aine looked like without her clothes on. She bore no visible marks and Eric made a point of mentioning the use of a whip on her. He remembered how quiet she was and wondered if her work to be so silent and to not cry would be treated as bravery as it would if she were a man. He wondered if she held herself so serene went she was beaten as thought she was a slave. Would the women regard her scars as mark of valor? Did Eric?

Sven also lost himself in the silence and the deep meaning of the few words exchange between him and Bjorn. He couldn't classify his feelings for Eric's wife as warm, nor were they cold. He was curious, he was wary, and he didn't understand her. He would give her the respect due his leader's wife. He would tread lightly knowing her past. He was also wise enough to know that his thoughts should be expressed solely to Bjorn. The other men had no business in his friend's marriage and Eric may not react well to judgment. He had enough on his plate without feeling scrutiny from those closest to him.

They neared the inn and Eric felt a bubbling bout of anxiety rise in him. He would face his wife. She might be lying awake in bed, she might be asleep, she might be pacing the floors behind a guarded door. She may say nothing or ask him questions he didn't want to answer. Despite all that had transpired, he didn't regret his marriage for a second. He still felt unnaturally fixated on her. He still desired and coveted her in a manner he'd never experienced before. At least, for some consolation and solace he reminded himself, he did indeed have her.

"I'm going to my wife. I'll see you come sunrise and we'll leave." He nodded to his men and left his borrowed horse near a bale of hay.

He found his two men by the door. One had fallen asleep and the other was keeping watch with tired eyes. They reported that their new mistress hadn't made any notable noise nor did she try open the door. He relieved them of their duty and entered the room quietly. He bolted the door and stood for a moment. He saw her hair from under the blanket she'd pulled almost completely over her face. At least, any and all questions would wait until the day.

He walked closer to the bed. He didn't remember sleeping in clothing, much less during the summer, since before his beard. Even in the winter Eric prefer to keep the fire roaring and find extra blankets rather not sleep in his natural and most comfortable state. He knew there would be nothing funny about the frenzy that would ensue were she to wake with him naked beside her. He stripped off his shirt and boots. He thought keeping his pants on would be a bearable compromise. It would also be good for her to get used to at least some of his body ; in this case his bare chest.

He carefully pulled the blanket away from her back and slithered under it. She jerked and tossed slightly but did not wake up. He laid there wondering if he could or should hold her. He didn't want to wake her. It felt so odd to just lay there like this. It was as though he had to pretend someone wasn't next to him, while ensuring he didn't disturb that someone. He rolled to his side and with the greatest ease rested his fingers on her forearm.

"Goodnight." He whispered.


	8. Departing

Here is the new chapter and I have a lot of Thank Yous to hand out

1 - to everyone who has reviewed this story! you have no idea how much those review keep me going and since finals are over, I should (baring any more issues) update more frequently

2 - everyone who has made this story a 'favorite' or has made me a 'favorite author'

3 - to my friends who review, read, and toss ideas around with me! special shout out to Vito, who always finds time to help me with my fics

4 - to lovingvikingeric, who helped with with this chapter and added so much to it!

and...in case anyone is wondering, I have a friend who is aiding me with Deadly Words but I don't have a timeline for an update

Eric woke up before his bride. He knew they had to leave, although he doubted her father had friends, it was only a matter of time before his body was found. As soon as she was dressed and everything was packed, they were going to leave. He definitely wanted to be sailing the open sea when that occurred, yet he worried about having to tell her of his death so soon after her emotionally distressing evening. He did not know what her response would be, but he feared her response would not be good. He wondered how much or if she would cry and hoped she would allow him comfort her with his touch, as he wanted to hug her. He was sure she would not yell or lash out at him, however, he wondered at her ability to take a deep breath, force that serene look on her face, and nod her head solemnly. He cursed quietly as he contemplated this.

He longed to hear her quip and laugh almost as much as he wanted them to sit down and share an actual conversation. He craved to hear her utter more than three words to him and he wished she would speak without being prompted first.

Eric tried to remember his parents beating him and his siblings. Images of his as well as his brother's upper arms cuffed came into his mind. However, those occasions were extremely rare. His mother's hand smacking the back of his head after he uttered something inappropriate played in his memory. Furthermore, he recalled his little sister having her bottom thumped at the hand of their aunt when she would chase the boys into the woods after a warning that she was too young to go along.

The most he could remember were the occasional cuffing and light slaps and smacks.

He could not imagine in his most exaggerated dreams that his parents could beat him. Even if such punishment was well deserved, his father preferred a much worse tactic – 'telling Eric he was disappointed with him.

He had no idea of where to begin in dealing with his new bride; nevertheless, he pulled himself from his thoughts and got out of bed so that he could dress for the potentially horrible day that lay ahead for both his bride and himself.

As Aine slowly began to wake, she could hear Eric and twisted around on the bed even though she did not open her eyes for a few moments. Eventually, her eyes fluttered open focusing on Eric as he sat on the bed pulling on his boots

She resolved to talk with him as she reminded herself it was common for husbands and wives to speak with each other. Besides, this was her last chance to change her future. Although she had not taken the time for thoughts about what would happen to her as she grew up, she admitted to herself that she had naïve and somewhat delusional ideas that everything would be fine one day. Sometimes she would dream of a much better life far away from the miserable one she had in her father's house. She believed this idea was not only semi-plausible, but at the very least, it was a possibility. Eric was the end of those naïve fantasies. Nevertheless, she had to gather her courage and do this; there was no other way.

"Eric?" Aine stated with a heavy heart and a definite tremor in her voice.

He looked back to see his wife still under the blankets, he was unexpectedly and pleasantly surprised with her effort to begin their day with the first word. He softly and warmly smiled at her.

"Good Morning." Eric stated in the most loving voice he could muster under his worry ladened heart.

"Can I ask you something?" Aine questioned, now with less tremor in her voice.

"Of course." he answered as he smiled softly at her. Still he was curious as to what was on her mind and wondered if his worries were unfounded. He feared this was not the case as he watched several emotions play across her face.

While he watched her with the softest of expressions, she thought about how she was no fool, but did not want the exact details of what had happened after he left last night, fearing her own inability to handle the truth. Gathering her thoughts she looked at Eric's warm cerulean blue eyes as she began, "When you went to my home last night," she paused awaiting a response from Eric. As he nodded, she took a deep breath and continued.

"You took back your silver right?" she questioned him

"Yes.", he replied calmly. He had not only taken his money from her father, he also took any household goods he could find. Eric wondered why she asked that particular question, but he did not have to ponder very long.

"So if you were to dissolve our marriage, you wouldn't be at a loss," she asked him with a hesitant voice and was unable to meet his gaze.

Eric's brow knitted in confusion as her words sunk in. She wanted to end their marriage. This was the last question that he thought he would hear from her this morning. In fact, her question had not even entered into his worry-addled mind.

"There is nothing prohibiting an annulment." she said, trying to keep her voice calm. She wondered how smart it was to remind him that he had yet to consummate their marriage. It would be far too easy for him to push up her shift and undo his pants for that to occur, after which there would be no talk of annulment.

While he stared at her, he felt his anger increase with each passing second. He had no idea why he was so angry. After all, was he really that surprised by her question? He alone knew she had no chance of dissolving their marriage; he would not let her. He had no idea of the words her father told her about him, how she was not even worth a fair bride price and how he had to beg someone to take her. If he knew these facts, he could help her with this line of questioning.

"No." he said forcefully. "Do not mention this again. Get dressed we're leaving."

He quickly stood and walked out of the room. By the time, Aine regained her wits she found herself calling out only to the four walls, as she was now alone in their room.

"Now?"

Eric went outside where he found his men almost ready to leave. Although most of the men were still tired, they found the energy to pack quickly as they learned why they had to leave so soon.

He looked around and saw Aine's horse. He had planned to let her ride it back into town today to leave the horse at her father's home. He also had planned to stay a few days giving her time to say goodbye to everyone she knew. He wanted to tell her all about her new home and ask her how she wanted to celebrate their wedding. He wanted to give her a feast, a party, and gifts of any kind he could provide for her. He longed to learn about her customs and to share his own with her. All his planning went out the window upon the discovery of her injuries and the nature of where they came from as well as the extent of coverage on her petite body. The last and final nail of indiscretion as he saw it was her asking to end their marriage. He was angry because of the hurt he felt in his heart at her request. He could not explain why or how but he had a great deal of emotion and feeling attached to her and their marriage. He was very anxious to leave and have her by his side on the open sea.

Aine walked out slowly wearing her old gown and worn shoes. She pulled her hair into the same messy braid she had worn to bed so he knew she hurried to get it finished. He looked over and motioned for two of his men to go into the room and ensure they packed all of their possessions. He noted how she stepped to the side when his men walked past her, and he assumed that was in response to the violent and abusive life with her father. Eric would make sure that life was over now, she would not know pain at his hand or anyone else's now. She didn't know this yet and wouldn't believe him even if he told her.

She walked to him, stopping a few feet away; he noted her sense of fear still present no matter how she tried to mask it. He made eye contact with her briefly, as he stated, "We're going to sail in a few minutes."

She only nodded in response and looked down to her feet.

He did not know what to say to her, as the tension was palatable between them. He looked at her with longing wanting to provide her with some measure of comfort, but he soon realized, as captain, he had to take charge and go to the boat and help with the final preparations. The last of his men walked out of the inn as he made his way to get Aine, who was standing in the same spot.

"We're ready to go." He spoke softly and extended his hand to her.

She looked like she was ready to cry as turned and looked back. This would be the last time she ever saw her home. She thought of everyone she wanted to talk to, the children who she would never see again, and her favorite spots to sit and be alone.

Eric saw the pain written all over her face and he felt just as sad as she did. He hated how their marriage had turned out. He feared that regardless of the circumstances, she would find him responsible for the new pain she felt in her heart. It did not matter how much he thought about it, he could not find a way to make it better. He knew that she needed time and he would give her as much as he could, but he also knew that come next spring and summer he would have to leave her to go raiding again. He prayed to Freya that she would heal her heart and open it to his love.

"Come on." he stated when she did not move. As he took a step closer to her, he reached out and took her hand. She looked at him for a moment with tear-filled eyes as he intertwined their fingers together and led her to the boat.  
As the ship set sail, he settled her in front of him and swore he could feel the fear rolling off her. She had her head down, her hands on her lap, and she did not look up once.

Eric began to lose himself in his thoughts. His plans to tell her how great their life would be fell to the wayside with the abrupt abusiveness of her father. He wanted to simply tell her these things once they were alone at the inn, he had hoped to hold her as he spoke of their future together, even though he knew she would not accept him sexually now, holding her would be enough; then he saw her mutilated body as it was covered in bruises and welts. He went on a mission to kill her father. He had considered allowing one of his men to make the final kill. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he would have, he couldn't be blamed for the murder. He wouldn't lie to her. He knew he'd have to accept every consequence of his actions. He wouldn't tell give her the details, about the whipping and how he chose his blade to end the miserable life of her pig father. She didn't ask and for that he was grateful. He figured she did not want to talk about it from how guarded their conversation was that morning, especially with the rush to be away before his unlawful melting out of justice was discovered.

Neither Eric nor Aine knew but her father's body wound be found later that day. The man who came across it would scream to the gods in shock. Everyone would gossip furiously as the house was cleaned of both body and blood. They would whisper about savagery. They would all assume Aine was taken as a slave and some would go as far as to speculate how horrible her life must be now. One woman would say it was her fault for leading him in the market. The men from the bar would never reveal telling Eric how to find her and would feel guilty for the rest of their lives. Others who defended their cultural pride in being hospitable would commend Aine and say 'no good deed goes unpunished'. Instead, they would blame the evil Viking men who could only respond to the kindest act with cruelty.

As they kept sailing Eric noticed that although his bride was extremely tired, she would not allow herself to lean against him. She could not even allow herself to touch him in even the most innocent and practical ways. She did not tell him the boat ride was making her feel queasy, she focused not only on keeping her body away from his, but on not vomiting in front of him and his men. Eric was not a man used to frustration. When there was a problem, he would fix it and be relieved. How does one fix a wife who is terrified of her husband?

He briefly thought that executing her father did not make him seem any safer for her.

He thought about their conversation that morning. He was perplexed by what she would do after annulling the marriage.

"Aine," She turned to look at him. "What would you have done if our marriage would have ended? Where would you have gone?"

"I have a cousin who would have taken me in. I wasn't sure how I'd get there, but I'm sure I could."  
This seemed a strange idea to him and he continued the questioning. "A cousin? What would you do for the rest of your life? "

She shrugged. "I'd have my own room, clean up and help out to earn my keep."

Eric looked at her incredulously.

"So you'd never marry? Never have children? Never serve as the mistress of your own home?"

"No.", she stated without feeling.

"Oh, Aine." he spoke softly.

Eric felt so bad for her. She talked as if she wanted a life where she would be little more than a servant and a constant burden until the day she died. If her cousin married, she could face one of the rulers of her home hating her, wanting her gone, and possibly getting rid of her. He wondered if her family would choose a spouse over their cousin and was glad she would never have to find out.

Lost in her own thoughts, as was he, she continued to think. She did not mind that her fate would have been that of a servant, even an unwanted servant. She knew she already had spent most of her life working around her father's house like a servant. While most of her neighbors paid her respect, she was not treated well at home. She did not care if she would be looked down on because she held the status of a servant or because she was seen as rude for burdening her cousin, because she knew her cousin would never mistreat her and would not allow her to be abused, even though he couldn't protect her from all scorn.

She decided the fate suffered in the house of her cousin would be worth it to not be where she was now; married to a man several years her senior whom she didn't know, traveling to a foreign place to spend the rest of her life, and being the charge of someone who may or may not protect her. She continued to look anywhere but toward Eric as they were both lost in their thoughts.

He became quiet once more. He knew she would never respond to their marriage with glee the way he did. He hoped he is able to convince her of what a great husband he could be. Only now, sitting on this boat did he realize he married a young girl without asking her. His mother would look at him with shame when she learned this. Not only, did he not ask her, he was taking her away from her home and she did not have a choice, he had acted rash and foolish.

"You're still mad at me, from this morning." Aine broke the silence.

He looked up at her, he was not mad at her, but he was mad at himself.

Aine was still scared of her husband, but genuinely felt bad if she hurt his feelings.

"It wasn't personal." She told him

"I know it wasn't, we don't know each other well enough for it to be personal."

With that revelation, she thought maybe he felt some of the same fears as she did about this marriage. She thought on this for quite a while, as did he. They both spent the rest of the morning lost in their own thoughts not conversing with each other, not looking at each other, not touching.


	9. Going Home

Aine finally fell asleep. After her head slipped forward, Eric pulled her against him. He carefully leaned his head against hers

_'Oh wife of mine...what am I going to do with you' _he thought to himself

They slowed their rowing and began to pull food from one of the baskets at the back of the boat. When offered, Eric decided not to wake his tired wife. He also declined to himself despite knowing he needed food. His mind was too busy with worry to allow him to focus on his hunger. He knew if he chose to eat, he'd have to shift the sleeping Aine and she'd probably wake up.

Eric was quiet and most of the men were too nervous to engage him in their conversations. A few of the guys made raunchy comments and were quickly glared at as a reminder that rather she was asleep or not that language wouldn't tolerated in front of their new mistress.

Aine eventually began to stir and didn't alert Eric to the fact that she had woken up. She felt very sick. She couldn't remember ever being on a boat like this. Her stomach was in knots, she was dizzy, her head pounded, and her mouth kept filling with saliva every time she swallowed it. Eric heard her sigh and pulled his head back to look down at her. When she felt him move, she looked up, swallowing hard once more. She had nothing in her stomach, but she feared she wouldn't be able to stop herself from dry-heaving for much longer.

Eric looked at her. Her pupils were so small they looked like tiny little black dots surrounded by a huge green circle. Her eyes were glossy and her corneas were more pink than white. She was abnormally pale and lacked any blush in her cheeks.

"Are you sick?" he asked.

"I'm not used to boats." she said quietly.

Eric knew there had to be more to it than that. Her eyes showed pain and she cast her head down when the sun moved toward her face. This wasn't just motion sickness.

"Just breathe...take a deep breath," She listened to him and began to inhale deeply. "Will you be sick?"

She shook her head. She would be ashamed and mortified if she threw up in front of her husband and his men. She couldn't imagine anything more humiliating. She wished the boat would stop moving. She wanted to know when they would dock. She was scared of what she'd face once they hit land, but this was far worse than anything that would happen. She didn't really know what would happen and could hardly even think and imagine what life would be like. A few ideas crossed her mind, but her head throbbed too much for her to hold a thought for very long.

Eric didn't alert her to the fact that she hadn't pulled away from him. His arm rested over her thighs and he did his best to not press her injured back into his chest. He wondered if her bottom was sore, both from the beatings she endured and the hard wood she probably wasn't used to sitting on for this long a period.

Aine's stomach growled loudly. Eric remembered that she slept through their lunch.

"When did you last eat?"

"Before the market." She said nothing more.

He was surprised to hear this. She should have had some form of lunch and dinner before their wedding. He still felt guilt from depriving her of breakfast. He truly thought it was best for her to sleep through lunch. He wondered if he was partly being selfish in that choice. He enjoyed her accepting his presence and his physical contact while she was asleep. It was too late to think about this now.

"Why haven't you eaten since then? Why didn't you have supper?"

He questioned her.

"I wasn't hungry."

Eric was no fool. He knew she wasn't hungry because of their betrothal. She was probably too scared to eat. He wanted to curse and forced himself to keep silent.

He couldn't allow either himself to keep being a bad husband or for her to not enable him to care for her. He thought about how to talk to her. He was fairly certain he knew a way that would work but wondered if it was the right approach to take.

He knew all he had to do was talk to her about her duties and what he expected from her. It gnawed at his insides to know that if he did this she would assume that if she failed in these duties he would beat her.

His proof in her safety would ultimately be when he never raised a hand to her. For now, he'd play the best card he had.

Her head was down, her eyes half closed. Eric leaned down and placed his mouth right beside her ear.

"I'm your husband." She shivered. "It's my job to take care of you...I can't do that if you don't tell me when you are hungry."

She nodded. He didn't sound angry. He sounded calm. His tone was firm and each syllable was precise. This scared her more. She wasn't used to calmness. Her father laughed loud and screamed louder. How could she handle a man who could hide his emotions, his anger, from her?

She realized that she had no idea how he thought. She wouldn't know when he was annoyed. She wouldn't know when to duck before he hurled something at her head. She wouldn't be able to detect the days when it was best to not cross paths with him.

She immediately stopped herself. He was her husband. She would always cross his path. She would always have to come to him. Even on his worst day, she knew she'd never find an excuse to not be near him, alone with him. This was especially true at night when she'd have to make her way to the bedchamber they'd share.

Eric tried to gauge her reaction. She was quiet. Her body nearly shook while he spoke. He wondered if he had made yet another bad choice. Did he push her too far? Scare her too much?

The silence began to bother both of them.

"Sorry." she whispered.

He was relieved to hear her speak. He turned back and yelled for one of his men to pass some of the left over food their way. Aine took what Eric handed to her and mumbled 'thank you'. She knew only her nausea kept her from devouring her food like an animal. Eric ate as well and watched his wife. Her eating wasn't as quick as he assumed it would be, but her hunger was evident to him. She wouldn't have enough food to fill her. If she would had eaten the day before the two meals they packed for the trip home would have kept her comfortable.

She took large bites and stopped herself. She was embarrassed by her behavior. Eric noticed this.

"Eat as you want. You're hungry."

She nodded and kept eating.

Her food was gone before she was ready to stop. Eric, feeling guilty for causing her so much trouble and enough stress to keep her from eating, offered her the last bites of his food. She thought it was very kind and surprising, but felt it was too impolite to take his food.

Eric leaned his hand over the side of the boat and washed his hand in the water. He then took it, wet and rubbed the other one before shaking both hands dry. Aine watched him do this and realized this must be the way to clean one's hands on a boat. She looked at Eric hoping for some permission to mimic him. He looked back unsure what she was thinking. She tentatively leaned her hands toward the water and when he didn't draw her back, she rinsed her hands as well.

They went back to the incessant quiet Eric feared would last forever. She, herself, hated being so quiet but didn't know what to say. She was fearful, confused, and worried. She didn't want to say anything to upset her husband and didn't want him to say anything to her she wouldn't like. It was better not know what would happen, than to have him drop another choice about her future on her lap. Her whole life had changed in the span of a day and she didn't feel she could handle anymore.

"Are you still sick?" He broke the silence

"I'm better." she paused. "I prefer a horse."

She said remembering riding with him the night before.

He smiled. Her humor was still there and her riding was truly an impressive surprise to him. He planned to take her riding and show her some of the scenery. Although she was a good rider, he wouldn't take her on the rocky and thin paths right away. He would have no issue with her sitting in front of him and taking her wherever she wanted, but he was fairly certain she wouldn't be keen on his offer.

He saw her fidget. He at first wondered if she was sick again and trying to get comfortable on the hard ship, pushing against the waves. She had to urinate. Once again her face flamed with embarrassment.

"Aine? What's wrong?"

"I..." she didn't know what to say. She didn't want to say anything. "I have to...go."

She hoped he'd understand her meaning.

He did.

Eric understood her embarrassment. He, himself, was a little uncomfortable about his wife having to relieve herself. He knew she'd feel this was a private thing. He also knew, as she did, that there was a chance of immodesty and exposure in front of a large group of men. He wondered if she'd accept help from him.

Women rarely went on boats. On short voyages men had it the easiest since they could simply pee over the side of the boat. Women had no such ease.

"Alright," he said to her. "I think you'll need to let me help you."

She bit her lower lip and nodded. He asked for the chamber pot to be passed toward them.

He held it in one hand with her sitting in front of him. He was pretty sure he could guide her through this.

"Open your legs and I'll put it down."

She tentatively complied.

"Good...," He spoke just as much to himself as he did her. "I want you to hike up your dress and squat over it." She nodded. He wanted to give her every last detail so she would be more comfortable.

"Can I hold you up?" He asked.

"Yes." She said still embarrassed.

"I'm going to put my hand here..." He place in on the center of her abdomen, his thumb and fingers touching her rib cage. "Can I hold your other arm?"

He asked remembering the bruises she carried on one bicep.

"Yes."

He put both hands on her and she leaned to move her skirt and pulled down further. Eric moved with her. She stopped and didn't move. He knew she was extremely uncomfortable.

"Turn away." he commanded his men.

This helped her, even if no one was really looking at her in the first place. Bjorn and Sven couldn't help but be slightly curious.

She took a breath and relaxed her muscles. No one could really hear her going. She immediately felt great relief. Once she finished she began to push herself back up. Before she could figure out what to do, Eric moved around her and lifted the pot. He dropped it half way in the water. The waves rushing against it helped to clean it. He soon pulled it out and passed it back to where it came from.

She was glad it was over and realized it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She knew Eric was trying to make her comfortable and still didn't know what to make of it. Her boat sickness had gotten much better, but was still there. She closed her eyes and breathed deep.

Eric decided to oppurtunize on her increased comfort with him and took a risk.

"Why don't you lean against me? Try to sleep. It will help you feel better."

She heard the wisdom in his words. After he assisted her in relieving herself and after she had already fallen asleep against him earlier, she decided it wasn't really a big deal for her to use him as a pillow.

She slowly pushed her back against his chest and laid her head back immediately after. His hands, carefully, cautiously went back to rest on her lap. She took another deep breathe.

Neither hardly moved and she found herself dosing off.


	10. Home

**Hello everyone! here is yet another chapter, long and hopefully detailed well enough.**

**to answer a question I've recieved numerous times...the sex will come soon. probably by the next chapter.**

**I'm still working on my other fics with friends**

**please read and REVIEW. thank you!**

Aine was sleeping against Eric's chest. They were almost home. He was sad she would only get a few more minutes sleep. He looked at Bjorn and caught his eye.

"I want you to take her to my room as soon as we hit the ground."

"Then what?"

"Just stay with her. I'm going to find my mother and tell her about my marriage. I want three days alone with her."

His men looked shocked.

"I'll ask you to bring us food. We won't be leaving our room" He paused. "If you are able, I'd appreciate you trying to manage the gossip about my marriage."

He didn't even need to ask. Without a doubt, Eric's best men would quell any unkind words. Some of the other men who were shocked and uninformed about most of what Eric did might begin to talk too freely and with too much speculation after imbibing too much mead, but most of his band would seek to protect him and his bride.

"Aine...Aine." He shook her gently.

She groaned softly. "What?"

She was never a morning person. Even though it wasn't morning she'd still just woken up.

"We're almost home. Bjorn is going to take you to our room and I'll be there shortly."

She tried to comprehend his words. _Home, _he said they were going home, but she didn't have a home. She was going to his home, a place she knew nothing of and a place where she had no friends. She wasn't very excited at the prospect of his man, as nice as he had been, escorting her to her room. She was beginning to know Eric and felt more comfortable with him than anyone else.

"Get Ready!" Yelled one of the men from the back.

Her head whipped around. Eric hoped the landing went smooth since his wife was still a little boat sick. Everyone on the boat began moving around and she could see the coastline getting closer and closer. Everyone was excited to be home once more.

Eric kept his arms around her as the boat rocked even more.

"It's almost over now. You'll have your feet on solid ground in a few moments." He comforted her.

She shut her eyes and before she knew it, the boat was docked and half the men were off. Eric nodded to Bjorn and began to push his wife to her feet. If sitting was difficult, standing was even worse. She swayed on her feet and thought she was going to regurgitate her lunch. Bjorn went to grab her arm but stopped himself. He left his hand extended. She forced her eyes open and took it.

"I'll see you soon." Eric waved them off.

It didn't take long for people to start running, screaming, cheering, and laughing gleefully for the men to be back early. Eric had a clear plan in his mind. He would send his wife and best friend to his room and find his mother. He began to make his way to the hall where she would be and didn't turn to look back as people called out his name.

Bjorn began to move fast. He was going to go around the back of the house and whisk her into the room as quickly as he could. With any luck, few people would even see them. He knew Eric wanted his parents informed first before it became public knowledge.

"Can you walk fast?" Bjorn asked her.

"I'm trying." She replied and began to move fast, now almost jogging.

They came around the house and she had no time to take in her surroundings before Bjorn paused, pulled her close, and began to practically run them inside. He pulled her through a corridor and pushed open a door. Pulling them both in, he turned and bolted it. She finally stood still. She look around at a room similar to her own, but larger. She realized this is where she would be staying. This was to be her room for now on - that room, the one at the house she grew up in, was no longer hers.

"You'll be happy. Eric has his own room."

Bjorn didn't explain how uncommon this was or how it came to pass that the room was built specially for Eric. He didn't tell her that her husband was a widow with his own farm being constructed through the woods and across the river. She was already getting used to moving from one place to another, she didn't need to know Eric was planning another permanent move very soon.

She nodded but didn't say anything.

"You don't have to worry," She looked at him. "Eric is just going to talk with his mother and everything will be fine."

He smiled reassuringly, but the smile didn't meet his eyes. He didn't know if everything would be fine.

Eric caught his mother by surprise.

"Mom."

"ERIC!" She turned and grabbed him. "You're early."

"I know. I have something to tell you." He said holding her arms.

She looked at him startled. She prayed no one was hurt.

"What is it?"

"Let's sit down." He led her to the chairs near the hearth.

She looked at him intently. He looked her. She was almost positive he carried no injuries. She wondered if maybe he didn't get enough goods on this trip, but that seemed unlikely since he was home early. If he didn't have, enough he'd be home late, not early.

"I got married."

That thought never even crossed her mind. Her jaw dropped.

"You...You did what?"

"Mother, listen." He waited for her to nod. "I married. I know it's shocking. Nevertheless, it's already done now. I think you'll like her."

She looked at the man in front of her, the man she raised since birth, and wondered how this happened. Eric was always analytical and if she worried about any of her children doing something extreme, he was always at the bottom of her list. She also knew of any of her children she could win an argument with, he was also at the bottom.

When she didn't say anything, Eric continued.

"That's not all..."

"Eric, what else is there?" She asked half scared to hear more and half-exasperated.

"We need three days in our room. I came home three days early. There is no loss," He paused to watch her face. "Mom, my first marriage was political and beneficial to everyone. I have a sister and many brothers who can make good marriages. There is no damage done to this family, this house, or this village. I like my wife."

She was shocked to hear him speak of his first wife. It was something he hadn't done since right after she and their babe passed. She was glad to hear he liked his wife and hoped this woman would make him happy. However, this was stunning information. She also knew nothing of this girl who was probably foreign. What did she look like? Was she a pauper? Was she well bred? What did she believe? Would she be a good wife and mother for her son and future grandchildren?

"Eric..." She began searching for words.

"Please, I need to bond with her. I need time. She needs to adjust."

Now his mother was shocked beyond belief. Eric didn't use the word 'please'. Eric commanded and others obeyed.

"All right. I'll do my best for you to have your three days, but then you have to tell me everything about her. I have to meet her."

"I've set it all up. Thank you, Mom."

"Where is she?" His mother stood peering around.

"In our room." He kissed his mother's cheek. "Thank you."

Eric left to finish preparing. His mom stood there stunned. She knew divorce was very possible in a marriage like this, but Eric's words rang true._ 'It's done now'_ she would never talk her son out of his marriage.

Eric went to the small hut where the midwife, Bera, completely much of her preparation as a healer. He greeted her with smile and kindness shown across his face.

"May I have some of the cream you use on wounds?" He asked respectfully.

"Yes...who is hurt?" She asked worried. "Should I come attend to them?"

"No. I've got it under control." He said ignoring her first question. She handed him the small jar, which he slipped into his pocket.

"Thank you. I'll see you soon." He walked out, thinking about what he had to do next. He remembered his wife's hunger and made it back to the hall. Nearly everyone was at the shoreline hugging the men and helping to unload the boats. Many of the slaves and women were gathering food and drink with great speed for the returning warriors.

"Mom, we're going to need some food sent to our room."

"Of course, how much?" She asked.

Eric looked sheepish and his mother noticed it. "Eric?"

"A lot. We...She hasn't eaten much over the past day or two."

Her eyes widened. "Eric, I may not be happy about your marriage. However, you are married now. You can't starve the girl. You need to take care of your wife. What did you do, rush home instead of eat?"

_What the hell is going on with him?_ She wondered.

"I know. We just had a lot happen in a short amount of time. I promise I'll do better by her." He said sincerely. He'd already felt like he many so many mistakes.

"Alright. Go. It will be there soon." She said, seeing the way her reprimand had affected her oldest child.

Eric turned and began to go toward his room. He stopped Sven with a young marriageable girl hanging all over him, giggling. Since before she had adorned herself with the hairstyle and garb of a woman, she had blushed and found excuses to be near to Sven. Now it seemed like her crush had traveled with her into adulthood. He had one more thing to tell him before he sequestered himself with his bride.

"Can I have a moment?"

Sven detangled himself from the girl and came close to Eric could speak to him without anyone hearing them.

"If anyone makes any comments, be sure to tell them I made good use of the hours I had alone with my bride." He instructed.

"You think someone will say something." Sven was surprised, but knew the idea of annulment and divorce wouldn't be far from everyone's minds.

"Already happened." Eric said solemnly.

"Who?"

"My darling wife." He said remembering their conversation in the morning after their marriage. He knew she wouldn't be given the chance to say anything damning, but figured she'd be wise enough to not endanger their marriage. She had no home to go back to. Although he hadn't meant to do so, he'd ensured they couldn't part from one another no matter what.

Sven looked shocked. This wasn't good. Did she truly not want to be married? And more importantly, was it Eric she disliked or marriage in general? That thought did jive well with the woman who, although drawn and abused, leaned against Eric and looked back at him as Bjorn lead her away.

"She's just scared."

Sven nodded, still not entirely convinced. "Go have your three days."

He hoped at the end of those days, that his friend's marriage would be on the right track. He truly did.

Eric walked into his room and smiled at his friend.

"I'll leave you now." Bjorn stood, patting his friend on his shoulder.

Eric took a seat and patted the bed next to him. She took the hint and sat down about three feet from him. He didn't ask her to move closer, he was about to ask a lot of her in a moment.

"We have three days in here. We won't be leaving this room - our room. It will give us time to get to know each other." He paused and she injected her question.

"Is that normal? Is that what your people do?"

"Not usually. But I think we need this, so we're going to have it." he said trying not to sound overly confident in his ability to get what he wanted.

She nodded. She wasn't sure if she liked this or not. She also realized she didn't know Eric's specific position. She knew he had command of the men, his men referred to her as Mistress, and he could arrange for three days of solitude even if it was not customary. She remember his words and hoped he'd tell her all the things, about their marriage and her future, that he didn't get to tell he before they left her home.

"Aine," he said pulling her from her thoughts. He reached for her hand and she didn't pull away, but didn't hold his either. "I have some cream that helps to heal wounds and relieves pain. I want to put it on you."

He looked at her intently. Did she understand? Would she agree? Was she afraid?

"Like...when we got married?" she asked, not really feeling comfortable with being nude.

"Yes. I'll give you privacy while you change and you can lie on the bed on your stomach. I won't look until you tell me you are ready."

Her breathing stopped for a moment. He wasn't going to leave the room. He was only going to turn away from her. She wasn't quite sure if she could do this. However, she knew his request was simple politeness - why he was being polite was beyond her, but she admitted it was appreciated - he would do this.

She didn't want to anger him. not only because she feared his wrath and how he might punish her, but because she hoped he'd wait another day...even a few more hours, before he laid claim to her body.

He watched her. He wasn't surprised that she agreed. He truthfully never even considered her refusing his request, so the thought of whether or not he'd force her to have her welts treated didn't occur to him. He knew some of his motivation was selfish. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to be prepared for her body, for her marks, enough that he could block them out and focus on how well she'd look once she healed. He remembered his initial thoughts about her at the market and her home. She was too skinny for his tastes, but still had nice breasts. He couldn't wait for her to gain some needed weight and watch them grow to a greater size.

Before either of them could speak, there was a knock at their door.

Eric rose and answered it. It was one of the serving girls carrying a tray of food. Eric took it from her and set it down. He re bolted the door. Aine stared at the food, remembering how hungry she was. Eric saw this.

"We should eat first."

He carefully sat the tray on the bed between them. Like most Norsemen, he made bathing a habit, but he also liked a relatively clean room. He hoped neither would spill food on the bed. This would probably be his only regret about being locked in a room for three days - they would eat most meals in bed. He wasn't bothered by tossing bones from meat on the floor in the hall for the dogs to gnaw on, which he suppose was a messy habit, but his bed was an entirely different thing to him than the floor. She once again tried not to eat like a pig, but being off the boat and her head only hurting slightly now, made her grab food and shovel it into her mouth. Eric felt no disgust, only regret, as she ate so quick she nearly choked.

He should never have let her get that hungry. He had to get them both back on schedule as well over these next three days. He knew she needed sleep soon. She felt better being off the boat and eating, but her body wouldn't be on keel until she slept.

She felt herself getting full. Her body like it was in knots. Her head didn't pound like it did earlier, but it there was a stiff, pressure that wouldn't go away. She remembered as a child filling her mouth with water until it she couldn't hold it anymore and laughing when it all rushed out. Right now, with laughter far from her thoughts, she wondered if her head would eventually buck from the pressure. She decided she hated boats and hoped she'd never have to set foot on to one again.

She was too busy eating to pay attention to the fact that Eric hadn't spoken a word to her. That horrible silence was back. It was becoming increasingly obnoxious, but she didn't know what to say. She briefly thought about groaning, screaming, or making some primal noise to get rid of the quiet while overstepping the problem of her having no words to say.

Eric saw that most of the food was gone and she had stopped taking more.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes." she nodded.

He stood grabbed the tray and left it near the door.

He reached and tossed her a rag to wipe her hands and mouth. He walked over and took it back from her to do the same. She thought she was a bit rude by wiping her mouth, but he did not seem to care as he used the clothe on himself.

Eric, who was learning quickly what worked best, didn't sit back down but walked back to the door.

"I'll be here with my back turned. Just tell me when you are ready." He stated calmly before spinning around.

This felt almost as bad as her wedding night. She reminded herself that she was lucky - luckier than she assumed she would be - so far in her marriage and that she'd already done this before. She peeled her clothes off and gently kicked them into the corner since she did not know what else to do with them herself, she turned away so her back faced his back. Her eyes kept darting to the side, over her shoulder to see if he really had his back turned still. She pushed the blanket back and slid on the bed. With a lot of moving and wiggling, she found herself adequately covered and laying on her front.

She took a deep breath. No matter what happened in the next few minutes, she knew her body would soon be no secret to him.

"I'm ready." This was a poor word choice. She wasn't 'ready'; she was only naked, on her stomach, and under the blankets - everything he asked for.

He turned and he began to reach for the small jar with the cream. He looked at the amount of room she left on the bed; on her side of the bed.

"Can you scoot over a bit for me?" He asked kindly.

She wiggled sideways as best she could and felt him sit beside her. He fingers were soft over her forehead as he moved her hair back and lifted her braid off her shoulder. She looked at him as he did so. He forced himself to smile slightly and made a showing of pulling the cream out. He wanted her aware of what he was doing. Maybe she'd be less fearful then.

He gently pulled the blanket down, bracing himself to see her marks. It was easier this time for him, but still hard. He didn't know if this was any easier for her...he assumed not.

"This might be a bit cold." He warned, dipping his fingers into the jar.

He had to be very careful. He still didn't know if she jerked her body in surprise or in pain when he touched the welt on her back the other night. The cream would remove all pain, but it might hurt to rub it on. His didn't know exactly how it was made, such creams being woman's work after all. However, he knew everyone, even the toughest warrior, was thankful for it after an injury. It accelerated healing and could numb your skin. It didn't always numb it though. He assumed that sometimes they didn't put enough of whatever ingredient fights pain.

He tentatively lowered his fingertips to her skin. She inhaled and arched her shoulders. He began to rub the cream gently into her skin.

"It is cold." she said

"I'm sorry. It will warm up."

He was glad she spoke. He found a rhythm of rubbing her back from shoulder to her waistline and back up again. He'd occasionally make circles with his fingers to ensure it was soaking into her skin. His hand eventually got to the bruise on her side. This mark bothered him most. He decided to bring it up to her.

"Where did this mark come from?"

"A kick." She said tersely.

He was correct.

"In my experience...people rarely get kicked just once."

She inhaled and didn't release her lungs for a moment. She had lied to him on their wedding night. She wasn't kicked just once. She lost count of how many times it happened, three or four maybe. The marks ran from the edge of her back, around her side, and the last on her abdomen. She wondered what would happen next.

"No...I was kicked more than once." She said, anxiously.

"On your stomach?'

"Yes."

He wasn't angry. He knew she was scared. She didn't want to risk him making her roll over so he could see the front of her body. He was sure he wouldn't have asked her to roll over. It would have been too much for her. He wouldn't make her do it now either.

She laid there not moving after admitting her dishonesty with him. She had no idea what he was going to do in the next few moments. He didn't sound angry. His fingers were still rubbing the cream into her back. She'd had more moments that are uncomfortable in the past day and a half that in her whole life it seemed.

"Are you angry?" She really didn't think not speaking could help her and she didn't think asking him this could hurt.

This was exactly the way Eric wanted it.

"No."

She briefly wondered if he was lying. If he was like the men from the tavern who said they weren't angry before a brawl, they just wanted to teach the other person a lesson. Eric rarely did anything she expected him to do. She didn't know if he was just odd, if it was because he was foreign, or if he was trying to mess with her mind.

She assumed it would be beneficial for him if she were loyal. She was always fearful and dependent on her father. However, she could never call herself loyal to him.

Eric finished with her back. He wasn't sure how well things were progressing with he and his wife. He decided to keep giving her opportunities to speak. In all honestly, they weren't truly opportunities as much as horrible moments of dead silence that would compel her to speak. He wondered if his methods were too harsh. He only had three days. He needed to not only have their marriage consummated and unbreakable, but he needed to be able to send her with the other women while he joined the men to work. He had to lay out some groundwork. Even if he'd have to go back later and repair anything, he'd done wrong.

"I'm going to pull the blanket down." He warned her.

He pulled it all the way down to her knees this time. He looked at her face. Her eyes were closed. He studied her body for a few seconds before dipping his fingers back in the cream. She wasn't sickly and had some flesh on her bones. However, compared to her corpulent father, he knew she wasn't fed as well as she could have been. Despite her bruises, he enjoyed her curved waist, the width of her hips, her fleshy bottom, and her legs that he was about to stroke. She wiggled a bit when his hand fist lay on her bottom. He moved in circles. She enjoyed it, strangely. Her face still reddened and uncertainty ran through her.

Eric was enjoying himself as best he could. He was rarely an ambivalent man. He accepted how things in life went and knew not everything was pleasant, much less ideal. In this moment he knew the word's meaning in and out, as well as he knew his own name. Her marks were not pretty. Anger rose inside him and shame for not making this easier on her.

Apart from those marks, her body was pleasing to him. It was hard to decipher them but he could see some beauty marks and freckles speckled all over her skin. He thought they made her look wonderful. He would be happy once he started her on a healthy diet. Women were supposed to be curvy and soft. She had most of the curves all ready, he just needed to soften and pad her body a bit more.

Her thighs were jammed together and when his fingers went over the junction between them, her body jerked. He waited. He wondered if she'd say anything. He also wondered - wished - she'd part her legs for him; just enough for him to peak at her.

She relaxed and tried to come up with an opinion on his touch. Did she like it? Was it nice? Shouldn't she like it? Did she want him to give her space and privacy, or to keep roaming her body with his hands?

She had no idea. However, when his fingers hit the dip between her two her legs, reality hit her. She was naked. She had a man she barely knew, husband or not, touching her in ways she'd never been touched before. She decided she wanted him to stop.

When she did nothing but tremble, he decided to start talking to her once more.

"Do you remember what I told you on the boat? About our duties?" He began and she nodded. "Has anyone told you how to be a wife?"

"No...Not really." She never had a mother and her father never bothered to talk to her. Both because he thought she was too worthless for anyone to want to marry her in the first place, and he honestly lacked the means for an acceptable dowry, and because marrying her would lose him the perfect servant. When Eric showed up, he was a mood where he saw her as more of a burden than a useful tool and he couldn't resist the Viking's money.

He figured she knew some. She hadn't lived in a cave. She'd seen people marry, she'd observe daily life of the adults around her, and she'd heard stories about the lives of other people.

"Why don't I tell you a little bit more tonight?" He paused and looked at her body. He could have been done already but he was taking his time. Soon, she'd have to figure that out. "There are no secrets between husbands and wives. Nothing we can't talk about to one another. And there can be no lies."

She shuddered. He was mad. He had hidden it from her. He had the ability to deceive her with ease. Now he would make her understand her error. These past few minutes had caused so much dissonance. At times, it was as though everything was normal and fine. Now, in the face of her lie and his displeasure, she was naked and locked in a room with no one who could or would aid her. She was completely at his mercy.

"This...dishonesty between us, "A willful omission was dishonest in his book, "is done and over with. For now on we'll have to handle our marriage correctly and be honest with one another."

She nodded, shocked. She truly didn't understand this man at all. She'd rather have him punish her than do whatever it was he was doing. He made her want to squirm and cry, and sigh with relief all at the same time.

He thought he handled this well so far. He was firm and used the only words she could understand - duty, orders, right/wrong, and a looming threat of what would happen if she failed or did the wrong thing. He knew in a way he was misleading her because he would never harm her and he knew that's what she believed. He was floundering. He had some plan, sure, but he didn't know if these three days would be enough. He didn't know if his wife would ever be truly being comfortable with him. However, he couldn't allow himself to think of that possibility.

"All finished." He said and pulled the blanket back over her. She immediately relaxed. He closed the jar and decided it was time for them to rest.

"I want you to put our shift on; I'll turn my back again."

She looked perplexed.

"What is it?"

"Why...why did you have me bring my night gowns if I'm not wearing them?" she asked.

He smiled.

"I'd prefer you naked. But I don't think you'd be comfortable like that."

She gulped. "My shift is fine."

He almost laughed.

He began to stand but stopped himself, still perched on the bed,

"I don't wear formal nightclothes. I won't sleep nude tonight," He assured her. "But you may not be used to the clothing I'm going to wear to bed. I'm going to change now too, get ready."

She listened to his words and was happy he wouldn't be naked. She figured this meant he wouldn't be sleeping with her anytime soon.

He walked around the bed to the other side of the room, with his back turned he began to rummage through his clothes looking for something to wear to bed.

She slowly stood and moved quickly to where her shift laid. She pulled it over her head and evened it out. She contemplated walking backwards so she wouldn't turn around and see him changing. She decided to treat him as he had treated her.

"Eric? Are you finished?"

"Almost." He sounded like he was moving.

She waited and a moment later, he spoke again.

"Done."

She turned and gasped. Eric was wearing only a loincloth. Little was left to her imagination. His blond hair hung down behind his shoulders, his shoulders and chest were bare, and she looked at his muscles. Her eyes darted to the little piece of fabric covering his essentials. She felt faint. She realized he looked good, even if he looked big and scary too.

Eric forced himself to not get hard when her eyes ran over his body. He looked at her as well. Her shift was too tight on her. He realized it was old and had probably fit better at another time. He needed to get into bed and under the blankets. He didn't think he could keep standing here, both of them staring at one another, with only the private parts of their bodies covered.

"Let's rest." He said moved toward the bed. His speed was increased and hers was slow, as they snuggled under the blankets.

"Does it hurt you, with or without the cream to lie on your back?" He asked curious.

"Not really. I'm almost all healed. I just lay on my side mostly." She said.

"Alright, get comfortable and let's get some sleep." He said, feeling tired himself.

She rolled and put her back to him.

"Can I take your braid down?" He asked.

"Sure." She agreed, wondering why he cared if her hair was braided or not.

He slowly touched her beautiful hair and began to unwind it. He ran his fingers through it gently. She'd need to brush it when she woke up. She sighed when the pressure was relaxed from her scalp and he smiled.

"Will it hurt you if I put my arm over your waist?"

"No." She said feeling small, even before his large body was wrapped around her.

He placed his arm over her and got cozy. He kept their bodies apart just in case her back still hurt at all. He nuzzled her hair that was spread out over their pillows and down her back. This was nice.

She began to relax and realized this was the most comfortable bed she'd ever been in. Her eyes closed and she was asleep in minutes.


	11. Bonding

_Okay here is chapter 11! _

_**two warnings **- 1 bad and 1 hopefully good_

_1 - (bad) Eric is a Viking. Eric carries some views that we won't all personally like. There is a little known rule our there though that states, no one is allowed to be angry about anything that happened 1000 prior. This story is set 1000(+) years ago. so NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO BE ANGRY ABOUT ANYTHING ERIC SAYS OR BELIEVES. _

_2 - (good) SEX. There will be sex in this chapter. and probably in other chapters. this is the longest I've ever gone with out putting sex in a story. wow._

_as always, to keep me going and writing strong, **REVIEW** after you read._

Aine woke first, surprisingly. Eric had slept very soundly all night and was still snoring quietly into her ear. His body was wrapped around hers. Aine however didn't start her day of with ease. Pressing into her backside was Eric's erection.

It took her a moment to figure out what it was. Once she did, her eyes widened. This was it. As soon as he woke up, he'd want her. He'd take her. There was no way he would back down now, with his body ready.

Her body was tense and stiff as a board. Eric flexed in his sleep and she gasped. This was enough to wake him. He instantly felt the tightness in her muscles.

"Aine?"

She started to shake in his arms and didn't answer. He tried to think about what was wrong. Did he hurt her? Did he roll over on her?

But that couldn't be it. This was fear not pain.

He stilled and used his senses to determine the state of his surroundings; a survival tactic for war. He realized he was hard and pressing into his virginal wife. He relaxed and gathered his words.

"This happens to men sometimes in the mornings."

He did release his hold on her. She had to get used to him and bit by bit she would.

"What are going to do?" She said with panic in her voice.

"Nothing. It will go down soon." He knew her trepidation was a sure way to make any arousing thoughts leave his mind. Her response to him would make him flaccid very quickly.

She didn't understand him. She couldn't really process his words. She wanted to pull away from his hold and jump out of the bed.

Sure enough, his erection deflated within moments. She began to relax and he kept his hold on her.

"There. I told you it would be fine." He soothed, hating her response to his body.

She nodded and felt stupid. But then again, was Eric truly like other men?

Could he just turn his body off at will? Could most men lie in bed with a woman wearing only a thin shift and not have sex with her?

She was so confused. Maybe someone really should have told about men – husbands rather – and being a wife.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

She took a deep breath.

"When are you going to…." She paused. "When will it happen? Can we just get it over with?"

He cringed. One never wanted to hear their wife ask to 'get it over with' when it came to intimacy.

"I don't want to mate with you until you are ready."

"When will I be ready?"

"Do you want me? Do you want me to know your body and do you want to know mine?"

She bit her lip and hesitated.

"No."

"Then you aren't ready."

She supposed this was best. She wasn't ready. But the waiting was killing her. She remembered a child dislocating her thumb. She cried and spent nearly three days cringing in pain with limited mobility before she finally had it reset. There was more pain during those days than when her finger was jerked back into place. Even the healing afterward, hurt a lot less than the time she spent putting off getting it fixed.

She wondered if her current situation is like that, with the exception that her only agony at the moment is a mental one as she waits for the inevitable.

She had reasons why they should just hurry up already and finish. But another thought entered her mind. What if he was only being nice so she'd be receptive to his 'rutting' (as her father and the men at the tavern had referred to it)? What if the second she agreed to yield to him, he treated her the way she'd known a man to treat the women in his life?

It truly seemed to her like she couldn't win. She had to squirm with anticipation and worry because he wanted her to be 'ready'. She feared how he'd treat her afterward. But she also feared that he'd let go of this notion of 'being ready' and just pounce on her.

She wished he'd just act normal and predictable!

Eric thought their exchange went quite well. He wondered if she would become more relaxed now. He made it known that he wouldn't proceed until she was ready, that would have to put her at ease. He had no windows in his room and wondered what time it was. He had three days. He wondered if they would be full days or if the day they docked would be considered day 1. He supposed this depended on when he left the room or when someone came to drag them out. He wanted to pace them well, not just in terms of when they consummated their marriage, but also in regards to all the things they had to discuss.

For the first time he could remember, he longed for winter; the time with short days and long nights. And the time when there were plenty of excuse to lock him and his wife in their chamber.

"I'm going to see if anyone has brung us any food or if we are going to starve," He said rising. "If you have to relieve yourself, I'm going to have my back to you."

She nodded and realized he couldn't hear her nod. "Yes."

She peaked at him and moved to the chamber pot. He open the door and saw nothing there. He stood with just his head peaking out and waiting for someone to walk by. It didn't take long, almost the same time it took for Aine to finish and hop back not he bed, for a serving girl to pass by. He told her to bring them a tray of food. She bowed her head and went to complete her task.

"Done?" He called back to his wife.

"Yes."

"You don't have to turn around for me." He said with slight smile. There was no way she'd look at him. She blushed deeply as he walked past her to the chamber pot.

He was very open about everything and she thought it was the weirdest thing.

Once he finished, he sat on the bed next to her.

"We'll eat soon."

"And then what?" She asked curiously. She found it best to remain silent and in the background most of the time, but she saw Eric rarely got angry with her for asking questions and seemed to not give a lot of information when he spoke.

"I thought we'd talk to one another. You can tell me about yourself, I'll tell you about myself, and if you want to talk about our marriage we can do that too."

"Oh. That sounds nice." She was surprised. She understood him wanting to explain to her how she should act as his wife. But wondered just how much he wanted to know about her. Of course, he'd want to tell her about himself, there was no better way for her to learn to please him.

There was a knock at the door and he rose to get the food for the first time it dawned on his wife that he was opening their room up and speaking with others while wearing something that only covered his groin and butt. If a sharp breeze managed to blow through the hall he'd be exposed. None of this seemed to bother him in the least. She shook her head at him and his lack of modesty.

He carried the tray in one hand and placed in the middle of the bed, the same way he did with dinner. She leaned over comfortably and they both began to eat. This time a wet rag had been left on the side of the tray for when they finished. He noticed her avoiding some foods and looking quizzically before taking a bite of others. He tried not to stare at her too much. Once they finished, he allowed her to use the rag first. She handed it off to him and he saw a smear near the left side of her mouth. He paused and reached out to wipe it.

To say she was surprised was an understatement. Her body flinched slightly, before she held perfectly still. He was gentle when he wiped the left over food from her face. So gentle that it took a few strokes to get it off. He enjoyed the close contact. He enjoyed her not pulling away. He decided to ignore her initial flinch and how her body stilled, same as it did on their wedding night after he bolted the door. He acted natural and as though everything was completely normal. Which in a way it was, it was normal and natural for him to touch her, even if her responses indicated that she didn't think it was.

He tossed he rag on the tray and left it outside the door.

She sat on the bed, waiting for him.

"Do you know what a big benefit of these three days?" he asked, smiling.

"No." she said honestly.

He walked to the top of the top of the bed and start to draw back some of the blanket with her sitting on the other side, near the bottom.

"We have no chores and get to be as lazy as we please."

He laid down and covered himself up.

She gave some thought to that and realized she hadn't had a day off since she was old enough, which was in all actually not old enough, to start doing work. Even when she was sick her father would drag her out of bed, literally or figuratively, to work as best she could.

She knew what he expected and moved to lay beside him, under the blankets. She thought this was a good thing. His emotions might be strange to her, but she was beginning to know some of the things he wanted. This would have to aid her. She had also been alternating between the worry and shyness she had over wearing next to nothing and not even noticing that they both were practically naked. Eric made it seem like it wasn't a noteworthy issue.

He decided things were going to well, he was going to push it as far as he could take it.

"Why don't you come here? Lay your head on my shoulder"

She hesitated but moved closer, under his extended arm. She slowed lowered her head as though she was about to make contact with a wild animal who might attack her. Once the side of her face was flat against his shoulder, she relaxed her body and let it fall into the bed. She was against his side and he lowered his arm around her.

She felt his muscles and began to become fearful. His body was rock hard. She thought about the fingers curled around her arm, his rough hands, his large arms. She wondered what it would be like the first time he smacked her. She wondered how big the bruises would be when he grabbed her. She imagined her head snapping backward as he shook her and yelled in her face. She also thought of him wielding a whip, a paddle, his belt and how the blows would feel as they landed on her body. For all the things her father was, he wasn't a very strong man. He was more soft, pudgy fat than muscle. He was slow. He was known to give up if she ran and locked herself in the room. He used to just release his rage by throwing whatever was handy at her closed door.

Whatever she didn't know about her husband yet, she knew he wasn't a man to give up. And once more she knew there was no where to hide in this place. She belonged in their room each night.

Eric didn't know what her exacts thoughts were, but he could feel her body tighten. He knew she wasn't at ease. Still he was happy she didn't pull away. He was going to continue to ignore her actions and keep propelling them forward.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know." She stopped and thought about what they could talk about.

He thought as well and hoped she'd start them off.

After a few moments he realized she wasn't going to suggest anything.

"I wanted to talk to you before we got married, you know." He started the ball rolling.

"Why didn't you?" She asked hoping she wouldn't step on to any land mines.

He let go of her arm and reached up to stroke her hair.

"I was going to ask to sit with you alone. Probably outside where we could be seen but not heard. But your…home wasn't a very welcoming place. I think I would have married you within a day no matter what. But I would have stayed at the inn with you until you'd said all your goodbyes. After my time at your home, I decided to marry you quickly and left to make plans for us."

She let that sink into her head. She wondered what it would have been like if her father hadn't treated him so badly and hadn't tried to smack her. Would she still be at home, forcing herself to smile as a seemingly happy bride and saying goodbye to everyone?

She remembered how hard it was to board the boat. She missed her home, her friends, her horses.

"What would you have told me?" She asked curiously.

"All sorts of stuff. I'd tell you about how I was flaunting tradition, but I'd make it up to you," as he spoke his hands caressed her hair and arm. "I'm going to give you a wedding feast. I'll try to fulfill any request you have for our wedding party. And just as soon as I have the time, I'll buy you your gift….if I wasn't so rushed I would have bought it before we wed."

"Why do I get a gift?" She asked confused.

He smiled and nuzzled her hair. "To show how grateful I am that you are my wife. To thank you in advance for being the one to give me children." He phrased it as carefully as he could. She didn't need to think about sex and he didn't need to remember that the Morning Gift was also given because a woman risked her life by getting pregnant and laboring.

"That's what your people do?"

"Yes. It will be your Morning gift." He waited for her to speak again and she said nothing once more. She was trying her best to process everything he was saying and all of its implications. "What do you want for our wedding? What are your customs?"

She paused. It almost seemed too late for most of the things that should accompany a wedding. And if they had the celebration after being married and after he bedded her, would she be treated as a maiden? This was confusing.

She also didn't really think about weddings much. She assumed she'd never have one.

"Can we get a blessing?"

"A blessing?"

"From a priest."

Eric searched his mind for the meaning of that word. He thought about his travels and where he'd heard it before. A realization hit him and he almost groaned a loud.

"What religion are you?"

"Catholic." She replied, suddenly thinking about him asking his Gods for children at their wedding. Who were his gods exactly?

Eric kept silent. This is why he should have talked with her before hand. She worshipped The White Christ. Maybe this was the source of some of her issues. He was having a hard enough time dealing with an abusive father, but now she worshipped a weak, womanly God who, surprisingly, hated women. Of course, she would take issue with him. Eric was a man, though he would never claim to be akin to Odin or Thor, he was a warrior. Her religion seemed to give women no rights and treated them as property. And most horribly, in Eric's opinion, they had serious problems with sex and sexuality.

How was he going to deal with a wife with issues such as this?

He sighed.

"I don't know if a priest will come to bless us. But I can get you a blessing." He thought this sounded pitiful.

"Oh." She said unsure. "That should be fine."

His grip tightened a bit and he nuzzled her hair. He kept fighting to ignore the way her shoulders arched when he touched her more.

She thought about this whole 'being ready' thing. From where she was standing, or laying, Eric seemed pretty ready to know her body. She wondered if he'd ask her if she was ready again. Surely he wouldn't assume because she kept laying there, letting him press his face into her hair and stroke her arms, that it meant she was ready.

She was slowly letting go of this 'get it over with' notion. But still didn't know why Eric kept waiting. Could it honestly be that he wanted her ready?

Suddenly her previous thoughts of him enjoying the feel of her body, seemed to drift away from her mind. Maybe he didn't want her as much as she assumed he did.

"Eric?" He was jolted from his thoughts about their different faiths.

"Yes."

He asked, joyous that she was speaking once more.

"Are we waiting because…..just because I'm not ready? Or are you displeased with my body?" She got quiet and practically whispered. "My marks?"

He had thought about this already. But now he'd have to give her the right words.

"No. Your body is very nice. It will be beautiful – more beautiful – once you heal…look at me."

She tilted her head and he cupped her chin with the arm that wasn't around her.

"I want you very much. I want to touch every inch of your body. I am excited at the prospect of your healing. But the marks on your body don't deter me from desiring you."

She looked at him shocked. She felt beautiful and desired. She felt good about herself for the first time in a long time. But some of his words stilled her. She now had no doubts he wanted her and was ready, but would she ever be?

"Will you kiss your husband?" He asked her softly.

"Y-yes." She stuttered out.

His lips pressed against hers. She was shocked at how soft and full they were. His hand moved from her chin to her cheek. He repositioned them so she was not straining to reach him and he was bending down toward her. After the first long kiss ended, she thought he stop. He lips were right back on hers. This time his tongue flickered over her top lip. She made a surprised noise and he slowly did again. He pulled back.

"Open your mouth for me sweeting."

That was simple enough as she laid there with her mouth gaping. He leaned down and pressed his tongue into her mouth. More surprised noises filled her mouth and he gently explored her. He touched her teeth and caressed her tongue. This time she moaned and he echoed her. Her tongue tentatively touched his, she experimented with this new process he'd shown her. He let her kiss him back for a few moments before gently pulling her upper lip into his mouth.

He finally ended their kiss and she looked up with him. Her pupils heavily dilated. Her mouth still slightly open. Her face full of wonder.

"Did you like that?"

"Yes." She replied honestly. "Was that normal?"

He laughed. "Very. I plan on kissing you every day we are together."

"With your tongue? Do all husbands do that?"

He couldn't stop smiling. "Yes. Good husbands kiss their wives, with and without their tongues, often."

Her innocence surprised him. He fully expected her to have never been kissed before, but she should have known how people kiss. He wondered just how much she didn't know. He was realizing there was a lot he didn't know about her.

"Eric?" She said, sounding unsure.

Her body felt funny. There was a tight ache between her thighs. Her breasts felt heavy. It was hard to breathe.

He repositioned then so she wasn't half on his arm and he was leaning over her. He pushed her hair back. This was beginning to be his only regret, they didn't get to bathe for these three days. He knew by now it would kill her to brush her hair out without it being washed first. He would enjoy them bathing as soon as they left their room and he'd spread her hair out around her when he took her.

He was thankful for the blanket covering them. He knew nothing would happen between them for a long while if she could see how hard he was. She was thankful for the blanket to. It made her feel less naked and somehow more safe.

"Do you know what we're going to do? Do you understand how husbands and wives come together?"

Her brows knitted. "Yes…Maybe." She paused once more. "Maybe you should tell me again, just in case."

Eric was happy for the opportunity to talk with her. He hoped this was a good sign that she was comfortable asking him things.

"First I'm going to kiss you."

Her eyes went wide. Did she just start something she wasn't ready to finish?

As though he was reading her mind, Eric ran his hand over her hair again, "No baby, not yet. Remember, I told you I'm going to kiss you often."

She looked up at him and relaxed. She found herself awaiting his touch, his finger in her hair or running over her arms, instead of recoiling from it.

"Then I'm going to touch you." His arm ran down to her arm. "I'm going to make sure each part of your body receives adequate attention."

"Every part?" She whispered softly.

"Yes." He said honestly, hoping he wasn't upsetting her.

"I'm going to pay special attention to all the parts of you that are just for me." He decided to be bold and moved his hand to cup her breast.

She gasped. He came down on his side so he could lie face to face with her. "I'm going to make you feel good."

His thumb circled her hard nipple through her shift.

She didn't know what to think of it. She didn't want him to stop, but felt she should want him to.

His hand slid back down and she was disappointed. It ran over her arm to her thigh. He explored her leg diligently. She jerked when his fingers touched her bare skin.

"And you can kiss me. You can touch me. You never have to ask me first." His blue eyes stared into her green ones. She had never seen eyes like his. She had never seen a look like the one he wore. He leaned in and his tongue ran over her top lip. She let him kiss her. She tried her best, with little experience, to kiss him back. His hand slid over her leg and up to her backside. Being as gentle as possible, due to her injuries, he caressed her bottom. She moaned into his mouth and pulled away.

"It's going to hurt." She said without thinking. As comfortable as she was and as good as she was starting to feel, that thought hovered in the back of her mind.

"Yes, a bit. But it'll feel good too." He said reassuringly.

She looked at him skeptically. She felt good so far. She knew he'd feel very good. But her? Doubtful.

Not only would it hurt, he had confirmed this as well, but she was pretty sure things worked differently for men.

"I'm going to give you a woman's pleasure." Her eyes kept looking into his and he could tell it was as though he was speaking a foreign language. "Trust me."

She nodded, still unsure and beginning to feel very small.

"After I've touched your body, I'm going to get you ready for me."

Once more he had to pause due to her confusion. He didn't know how to explain all of this to her. "You'll understand when we get there."

She looked at him expectantly.

"Then I'm going to position myself so you can take me into your body."

She took another deep breath. His words sounded beautiful, scary, romantic, and horribly invasive. She knew he was talking about the part that would hurt her. It sounded as though he'd run whatever it was between his legs straight through her, like a sword.

He watched various emotions play across her face, he moved his hand to cup her chin.

"I promise I'll be good to you. I'll make you feel good."

"How?" She needed to understand this.

"You understand that what we'll do is meant to be pleasurable?"

She nodded, of course it was – for him.

"When I touch you…" His hand began to drift down its original path, his finger spayed over her thigh and his thumb at the junction between her legs. "It will feel very, very nice….Can I touch you?"

She understood his meaning. Green stared at blue, nervously ; patiently.

"No one's ever…" Her voice trailed off.

"I know."

She bit her lower lip and nodded her head. He moved his hand to her arm. "Lay on your back." He guided her down.

Her eyes were wide and she clenched her fists. "Shhh…this won't hurt at all."

He stroked her thighs, hoping she'd open them for him. Slowly she parted them and his hand ran under her shift. He felt her soft curls and wondered if they were dark or if they were red. He ran his fingers over her folds, tracing them and ingraining the shape of them into his memory. His thumb ran between her lips and he felt her wetness. She gasped and he slide his digit up to find her clit. He grazed her, softly.

"Oh."

He couldn't stop smiling. He began to massage her pearl. Her legs opened wider and her hips jerked.

The sensations were completely new to her. She didn't know what to do with herself. She didn't know if she should feel ashamed or bad about what they were doing and how much she enjoyed it.

"Hold on to me." He said when he noticed her struggling. She put her hand on his arm and squeezed as he found a rhythm that made her pant. She started to moan and whimper. Her body felt like it would explode and she didn't want him to stop. She knew she didn't want him to stop.

"Yes. I want you to cum for me."

_Come?_ Where was she going to go?

She brushed aside his words and start grinding her hips.

"Eric….Eric…." what was happening to her. His pace quickened and he felt her nails dig into him. Her body jerked and convulsed. She screamed and he felt her juices run over his hand and unto her thighs.

"Oh…wow." She looked up at him.

He smiled and kissed her. "That's what pleasure is."

She caught her breath. "Is that what will happen when we…come together?"

"Yes. I will always be a good husband and give you pleasure."

He leaned over her and kissed her. Her arms went around him. Without meaning to, he pushed his erection into her leg. She stilled.

"That shows how much I want you."

"I still don't know if I'm ready."

"You don't have to be." Eric said kindly.

He wouldn't push her past what he thought she could handle. He thought there was a fair chance he could buried inside his wife by the end of the day if things kept going so well.

He wanted her to feel in control. He had a feeling she may not say 'no' even if she wanted to stop out of fear of displeasing him, so he would watch her body language carefully. He knew, though, that once they started she might ask him to stop when he pushed through her maidenhead, but he would not. It would take far too long to get her to try again and it would only make things worse ; best to get through the pain and make her feel good as quickly as he could.

Her fingers trailed over his shoulder to his chest. "Do you like to be touched? Like you touched me?"

"Yes."

She looked at him, almost shocked at her own words. Her finger moved and ran over his nipple. She went an inch or two lower.

"Keep going. It's fine."

She got to the top of the only piece of clothing he wore. "Do you want me to take it off and you can touch me?"

"S-sure"

He moved and slid it off. He was finally in bed, naked, with his wife.

"How?" He took her hand and wrapped it around his length.

She never thought anything could be so hard. His skin was hot and he groaned when she touched him, causing her to try to let go. He held her hand to him.

"That's good. Let me help you."

He pulled her hand and showed her how to stroke him. She marveled at the feel of him and how his face looked. He drug her hand up to his head. "Squeeze it."

She tightened her grip and he tugged her hand back and forth. He released her and she tried different movements. She felt wetness on her fingers, but Eric didn't seem to indicate anything was wrong.

He moaned.

"Am I doing it right?"

"Yes. Yes, so right."

She kept going, wondering how she could possibly be doing this.

"Stop." She immediately let go.

He was getting too close. He had to decide what to do quickly. He wasn't sure where her sudden urge of confidence was coming from, truth be told neither did she. But if he wanted to capitalize on it, it had to be now.

"Take your shift off, lover. I want to see your body."

She sat up and he moved out of her way. She lifted it over her head and dropped in on her lap. Self-consciously her arms went to cover her breasts. He grabbed her arms and pulled then away. He stared at her. He looked past her bruises, a horrible distraction from this beautiful moment.

"You are gorgeous." He told her softly.

"Really?"

"Yes. You felt how bad I want you. How pleasing you are to me." He reminded her.

She bit her tongue, a nervous habit she had. This was it. If he didn't ask if she was ready, then he was waiting for her to tell him. She was going to be come a wife; a woman.

"You won't hurt me?"

"I'll be gentle." He promised.

She nodded.

"Lie on your back." He rose and she watched him. His member felt huge in her hands and looked even bigger. She wondered if all men were like her husband.

He leaned down and pulled out something from under the bed. He pulled out a jar that contained slick goo for situations such as these.

She looked at him, alarmed. What was he going to do?

"I'm going to get you ready." He laid his fingers on her shoulder and drug them down over her breast. He reached her hip bone.

"Open your legs and bend your knees for me."

"Are you going to look at me?" She said startled. Maybe this was a bad idea.

"I need to get your body ready for mine. It's okay. We are wed, nothing we do is wrong, and there is nothing unknown between us."

She slowly did as he said. He dipped his fingers in the jar. It was cold on her warm skin. He spread it over her lips, rubbed her clit, and pressed some into her opening making her buck her hips in surprise.

"I'm going to put my finger inside of you."

He pressed into her.

"Don't tense up."

He stroked her and was soon prevented from going deeper by her hymen.

"Do you like this?"

"I think so."

He tried for another finger and felt her stretch for him. He wondered if it was painful. He couldn't tell by the noise she made. His fingers moved slightly inside of her. It was so odd and weird, but still nice.

He withdrew from her and got more cream. He coated himself heavily, probably more than what was necessary. He pushed the jar aside and settled himself between her legs.

"I will be good to you. Relax, my wife."

Her arms instinctively grabbed him. He guided his tip into her. There was pressure but no pain. He nudged her membrane.

"It will only last a minute." He gave her no chance to respond and pushed through the barrier.

She yelped and he pulled her close.

"Shhh…Just hold me. It will be over soon. Soon." He pushed himself in inch by inch.

This would be hard for her. Eric's size daunted and caused discomfort in the most experienced of women. She groaned in pain.

"Eric. Please." She began to cry.

"Just a bit more." She felt so great around him. "Almost."

He jerked his hips and let the whole of his manhood fill her. She was crying and he let some of his weight fall upon her.

"It's going to be fine, sweeting. Just let the pain pass. Let it pass." He kissed her cheeks. Her chin, the sides of her mouth, her temple. His tongue wiped away her tears.

She began to relax.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" she asked shocked.

"For me to move."

"Oh. I think so."

He was so grateful for her answer. He moved slowly, slightly. He was going to finish quickly. She was so tight. He found a pace that was far too slow for him. He moved and got his hand between their bodies. He stroked her. He wanted to bring her to orgasm before he moved any faster.

He felt her begin to find her pleasure. Her walls tightened and it took everything in him to not pound into her. She came hard and he groaned. His hips bucked against her and she was too far gone to realize this would leave her feeling very sore later. He came quickly and fell with his head buried in the crook of her neck.

"Oh…My sweet wife. I'm never going to let you go."

He stayed inside her as he went flaccid. He looked into her wide, glossy eyes and slowly dislodged himself. Her rolled to her back and pulled her to him.

"Did I hurt you?"

"Yes."

"Did I make you feel good as well?"

"Yes."

He kissed her temple.

"Do not be ashamed of what we did. You are my wife now, in all ways. What we do is beautiful."

She nodded her head. She tried very hard to feel no embarrassment. She thought he might just be right – there was beauty in what he did to her.


	12. Honeymoon's End

**Hello everyone!**

**I want to once again thank those who have reviewed and anyone who has helped me shape, write, or correct this story.**

**I hope to keep the updates going at the same pace.**

**I'm also reviewin some plans for Deadly Words. I definatly hae a small chapter planned and I'm batting ideas around with some friends. I might upload the short chapter and then create a poll or ask for some PMs about where the story should go and how people feel about my plans. I haven't given up on it.**

**enjoy the chapter and please review (I promise I read every review and appreciate them all)**

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Aine was draped over Eric. His eyes were open, but his body was still, just enjoying the feel of her on him and his arms around her. He hadn't cleaned her blood from either of them. He'd be sure to get a slave to bring him water and clothes to wash their bodies and clean bedding. Now that she was wedded and bedded, he was fine making a show of the blankets that displayed her loss of virginity.

He felt much calmer. Everything between them had been a steady advance in him owning her.

He wanted her at the market and searched to find out more about her. His goal began.

He showed up at her father's home to discuss her bride price.

He knew then, on some level, that if he'd been refused he would have come back that night and taken her. He would have promised her she wasn't going to be a slave and that she was perfectly safe with him. He would have married her and left that night.

He succeeded in making her his intended. She was his.

He came for her in the night and whisked her away. He wed with her. He would have killed anyone who tried to take her from him.

He saw her body on their wedding night, the night he planned to be so gentle and patient as he slept beside her.

He avenged her against her father.

And now he had her at his home, in their bed, and he had claimed her.

His hand absent mindedly stroked her back. He was so careful to not hurt her every time they touched. He decided to keep her abuse a secret. He couldn't shame her by making it public. Part of him wanted to take her to the midwife to be looked over, but he thought it best to keep quiet. If she didn't keep healing and start to look better, he'd take her at night in secret.

He decided they needed to prepare for the end of their time sequestered in their room. He needed to sort through her clothes and find a presentable gown. He was going to throw most of her clothes away and get her new ones. He also decided he'd go through her jewelry and buy her something new. He was excited, for the first time in a long time, about the new home he would have. He hoped she'd like it.

She stretched and sighed against his chest. He stroked her hair.

"Good morning."

"'Morning." She mumbled.

"Sleep well?"

"Yes."

She was almost fully awake. Her body was stiff. She felt sore between her thighs.

"Did I do everything right?" she asked shyly.

"Yes. It was perfect." He said remembering what they did before going to sleep. She had pleased beyond anything he could have expected. He was sure she'd only gain more skills and confidence as their relationship continued.

She smiled shyly to herself, not looking in his face. He noticed that even now, she remained in his arms and was quite pleased at that action.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. "Would you like me to ask for a meal while you relieve yourself?" She nodded her head but made no attempt move to remove herself from his side.

"Aine, are you aware that once you lost your maiden head, you bled a small amount?" He asked her gently. He didn't want her to get out of bed and see the dried blood on her thighs or the bed and panic. She looked up at him in shock with wide eyes, not knowing what to think. Would it be like that every time? Is she still bleeding? Eric saw the expression on her face and saw he needed to calm her.

He stroked her back and softly said, "It will only be like that this once, it happens to all ladies when they become a wife. I did not want to you to be alarmed if you saw the blood on the bed. I will have fresh bedding brought with our meal. I'll also get us some cloths and water to clean ourselves."

She nodded then said, "Thank you."

Eric smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her, softly at first but becoming more passionate.

"Are you very sore?" he ask her as he pulled away to lay back.

"No." She replied

"How about your back? Your marks?" he inquired.

"They don't hurt. That cream was wonderful, thank you for putting it on me." Aine replied.

"Aine, you need not feel you have to thank me for everything. I do these things for you because I care about you. You are important to me. You are my wife." He told her.

As he finished that, her stomach growled and she hid her face in embarrassment. Eric chuckled and told her he would get up for food and bedding. She nodded as she watched him leave the bed naked as the day he was born. She could not stop staring; she had never seen a man fully naked.

She had marveled at his chest the other night and now remembered what it was like to run her fingers over him. She saw his member. It was stained with blood, which made her feel nervous and a bit embarrassed. She thought it was so odd for him to be one size now and a lot bigger when they had sex. He turned and she saw his perfect ass for the first time. She had to stop her self from saying 'wow' aloud.

As he turned back to look at her, she hid her face quickly.

"Do not be embarrassed, I am yours, your husband, you may look all you like."

He told her as he returned to her side. He put his finger under her chin, lifted her face to look into her eyes, and said, "My body is yours, you may look or touch my body as you want. First, let me get our food, bedding, and supplies to clean up with. You may put your shift on, if you feel more comfortable. But it is not necessary for me."

Aine blushed feverishly and nodded. "Eric, I need to go." He nodded and told her he would turn his back until she was done.

She thought about what he said. She had a hard time imagining just walking up and touching him. She wondered if what they were doing really was 'okay'. She never doubted he would enjoy coupling with her. And she knew he said it would feel nice for her and it did. She knew as a wife he'd enjoy her body regularly. She wasn't entirely sure if this meant everyday or not. But she wasn't acting right. She couldn't be. She wanted to touch him; to feel him; to have him. She was acting wanton. Maybe he knew she would, maybe he could see some part of her that would be obsessed with him and that's why he chose to marry her so quickly.

He went to the door, again naked, and stopped a servant to get a meal and the other items they needed. Closing the door, he waited to turn around until she gave him the "okay". Eric then went to relieve himself as a knock sounded at the door letting him know everything was there for him.

Opening the door, he retrieved the items and brought the meal to their bed to join Aine, who once again had dressed in her shift.

He smiled at her wondering to himself how long until she would be comfortable within her skin. They dug in both of the very aware of their hunger. He looked over at her, noticing she had stopped eating. "What's wrong?" he asked Aine.

"Um…I was wondering…um…what happens now?" she asked.

"Do you mean now as in after our meal of now as in after our 3 day lock in?" he asked to clarify her meaning.

"Both, please…" Aine said shyly almost a whisper.

"Well let's address the first part and we will move onto the other." Eric suggested. Aine nodded.

Eric was still concerned for her health so he suggested she continue to eat as they talked. "Right after our meal, I thought we would clean up with the cloths and water. I normally bathe daily so not having done that I would like to clean up." Stated Eric. He looked at her in question.

"Yes, I would like to clean up. While I did not always get to bathe every day, I would go to the ocean or the stream after dark as often as I could sneak out to bathe. Sometimes there wasn't any time after my chores." she stated in a demurred voice.

Eric was shocked, he could not fathom what her life must have been like with her father. He assumed by chores, she meant doing everything around the house with no help. He figured even with the option to do so, she would be unused to cleaning each day. He'd try to get her in that habit. He thought about asking her what her day to day life was like, but decided against it, not wanting to open that subject over their meal for he feared she would stop eating, he continued.

"After we are clean, I hoped we could lie on the bed together and talk more."

She nodded again as she was chewing a bit of bread.

"Aine, I promise you that when our 3 days are over, I will make sure you get a warm bath and we will wash your hair. I know it will not be comfortable to brush until it is washed. I will have the servants bring the tub and warm water in here for you and I will help you if you will allow me." Eric asked as he looked at her. She looked at Eric, he could see the emotions play over her face. He feared she would say 'no', all he wanted to do was care for her.

She wasn't entirely sure about his request. She still felt shy and wondered if this was indecent. She knew he really wanted it and that she did enjoy his hands on her body ; even if she thought she enjoyed it a little too much. Looking down, she told him that she would like that.

He nodded his head at her feeling a small victory won. They finished eating, he offered her the rag to wash her hands first. She finished and gave it to him so he could do the same. Putting the meal dishes outside the door, he came back to sit on the bed with her.

"I'll send our clothes to be laundered."

"Eric, what will I wear if you put my only dress outside? Who will see the blankets?" She asked in a soft voice. She would be humiliated if everyone looked and saw her maiden blood and she was scared to not have any clothes, even if Eric didn't seem interested in her getting dressed any time soon.

He went to her, lifting her chin to look at her. "I have asked the servants to get you proper clothing for when we leave. I want you to feel comfortable when you meet my family. They will also bring you a new shift, shoes, and one of the girls can fix your hair for you. It's their job to wash our stuff, even if it's dirty. There is no discomfort or embarrassment in that." Eric told her in reassurance. She nodded and thanked him again.

"I would also like to apply more cream to your marks after we bathe."

He knew he was pushing her by asking to help her wash, but he hoped that she would allow this so that he could see her. He didn't take nearly enough time last night to enjoy her body. He also wanted to keep her out of pain with the cream.

"Um…Is that normal for husbands… um…to help?" she asked him.

"It is, it is another way that I can care for you, remember we have no secrets between us and that includes our bodies. My body is yours as yours is mine."

Eric told her as he reached up to touch her cheek. "I think you are beautiful and I enjoy looking at you. I want you to be comfortable with me so that you will let me care for you."

Aine was not sure but she nodded. He stood up from the bed and moved her next to it.

"I will turn around if you prefer, but I want you to remove your shift and lay it on the bed then lay on top of it on your stomach." You may cover with this cloth if you need to." He said as he gave her the dry cloth.

She did as he asked as he went to the fireplace to get the water that was staying warm on the edge of the coals. "Are you ready?" He asked her with his back to her.

"Yes." She answered.

He picked up the water pan and the clothes making his way back to the bed.

As he gazed down upon her form, he felt a long forgotten feeling in the center of his chest. He dipped a cloth into the warm water so that he could lay it over her marked back.

"Aine, this will be warm. It shouldn't be too hot. It will help relax your muscles. I'll be careful."

He spoke softly as he very carefully put the healing warmth on her muscles.

He left the wet rag on her back while he quickly washed up. Once his body was clean, he moved the cloth back to the water and continued to wash her back, legs and bottom. She flexed when he moved the rag down past her back, but no effort to tell him to stop.

He then began to apply the cream to her marks. He gently massaged her. He was unhappy to feel knots in her back. As he rubbed it into her skin the little moans she was making did not escape his notice.

"Aine, will you please turn over so that I may finish bathing you?" He asked softly.

"Um…yes, I guess. May I still cover with this?" she asked while pointing to the dry cloth.

"Yes, you may, I will only uncover what is necessary." He replied with a small smirk.

As Aine turned over, he noticed she was not wincing anymore in pain. This pleased him. He again wet the cloth, to warm it up as he began to wash her neck, moving to her breasts. Aine closed her eye as he uncovered her chest, afraid to look at him.

"Beautiful" he whispered, but she heard him.

He recovered her breasts as he moved to wash her stomach. Next, he washed her legs, avoiding the area he knew would cause her discomfort.

Eric moved back up beside her, placed his hand on her cheek she turned her face to his. He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. He then went back for another kiss and yet another until they increased in passion. They were both breathing faster as he spoke, "Will you allow me to clean your woman parts?"

She closed her eyes, not responding for a bit, and then she nodded without looking at him. She knew she'd enjoy him touching her. She also knew it was silly to have him touch her, but be so uncomfortable with him looking at her. She also knew that he had every right to view her body. She decided it was best to enjoy his touch and agree to his request, rather than risk him making demands and commanding her to do these things.

Eric leaned in to kiss her again, increasing passion and want between them. He retrieved the cloth from the warm water, lifted the cloth covering her sex, and began to clean. He nudged on her thighs for her to open them. As she did, he began to clean her most intimate parts.

"Beautiful" he whispered again.

His fingers traced the pattern of her sex, determined to memorize her. He took his time rolling his fingers over her clit. She jerked her hips and moaned in response. He ran his index finger over her slit, teasing her. He smiled. She kept her eyes closed tightly as she was still embarrassed, but she didn't want him to stop. She whimpered when he finally did.

Moving the bath items out of the way, he turned the covers down on the bed and helped her under them sliding in beside her holding her to his body.

He kissed her on top of her head, down the side of her face, on to her jaw until he reached her mouth. She began to return his kiss once he reached her lips. Their kisses were full of passion as he rolled her onto her back, moving above her to claim her body. Using his knees he nudged her thighs, she again opened for him. He leaned up to place his cock at her entrance and pushed gently only moving the head inside her. Noticing she was tensing up again, he leaned down on his forearms and claimed her mouth. He pulled away and got the cream from the other night.

"We'll use this again. Eventually I won't have to be so gentle…" He regretted his choice of words. She was still to new to understand sometimes lovers would be rough with one another and it was very enjoyable. He planned to ride her hard once she trusted him more. He wanted to sneak off with her during the day, lift her skirt, press her against the side of the house, and take before anyone noticed they were gone.

She looked up at him startled. She worried over his words. She had hoped she was wrong, but he confirmed her suspensions. One day he wouldn't be gentle with her. She wondered that since he had hurt her last night, if that meant he could intentionally hurt her when he laid with her. She wondered how long she'd have to wait to find out.

"Do you remember last night, when I stretched you?"

She nodded, unsure what he was getting at.

"Most of your pain was from me pushing through your maidenhead. But it was also hard for you to stretch for me. Once we make love enough you won't have to stretch any longer. Your body will be ready for me and I'll slide into you with ease."

She relaxed. Maybe he wouldn't hurt her after all. What he said made sense.

"And you won't have to be careful then." She clarified.

"Exactly. Until then we'll use the cream."

He put a reasonable amount on himself and over her passage.

He repositioned himself and began to kiss her once more. As their kisses deepened he slowly began to thrust inside her stopping with each thrust to allow her time to adjust. After a few minutes, he was fully inside her, sheathed in her hot, wet tightness he stilled. He looked into her eyes as he waited for her to be ready. She began to move under him so he took that as his sign and began to thrust, only moving out half way at first before returning. He lifted her legs and placed them on his hips to allow him better access, he began to move faster within her. Soon she was moaning with each movement and he was fully thrusting his hardness into her. His need for her was great, but he wanted her to cum again as he did. He leaned in to kiss her again, moving his hand to her nub. As he applied pressure to her, he could feel her walls tightening around him. Moving faster and harder, she screamed as she came with him following immediately. Her walls milking his seed deep within her core, he felt like he was in his own personal Valhalla. He collapsed on top of her holding her until the shaking stopped. Rolling off to her side, he pulled her up to him, kissing her forehead; he smiled sweetly to her saying, "Thank You."

She looked up at him surprised and smiled. She laid there relaxed, naked, and pleasured with her husband until there was a knock at the door.

Eric reluctantly got up to answer the door. It was Lorena, the slave girl, who had come to take the clothes and bedding to be washed. Eric told her to wait one moment.

"Aine, we need to allow the slave to come in and clean our room." Eric told her as he walked back to her on the bed. "

You need to leave the shift on the bed for her to launder. They will bring you a clean one.

Aine nodded hesitantly and asked, "Um….where do we go while she works?"

Eric pointed to the chair by the fireplace and went to set down.

Aine was torn. She knew Eric owned slaves. It was what his people did. She felt it was wrong and didn't know if she was comfortable with one helping her. She wanted to tell Eric that she could strip their bed and wash their things. She has ample experience with laundering clothes and house hold items. But she feared it would shame and anger him. She knew for certain that arguing with him within ear shot of an inferior wouldn't go well for her. He'd be embarrassed and feel his leadership was threatened. She feared what he'd have to do to prove himself if she disgraced and disrespected him. She also assumed he wouldn't like her back talking and questioning his orders under any circumstance.

He looked back and noticed she was watching him intently.

"Come here, bring the top blanket, sit here with me on my lap and we will stay here covered while she cleans."

Aine did as he asked and Eric called the slave Lorena to come in and do her work. Eric smiled as she carefully pulled the blanket over them, making sure to cover as much as possible. He was slightly surprised of her modesty in front of another woman, but he assumed living with only her father doesn't help a girl to feel comfortable around others. Aine laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. She was both warm and comfortable sitting there with Eric by the fire and simultaneously embarrassed to be naked with another person in the room.

Lorena can in and set about cleaning. She gathered the cloths and water and placed that outside the room. As she moved to change the bedding Lorena picked up the shift, seeing it was worse than a rag, she held it out like it was diseased.

"Should we burn this?" She asked.

Aine sucked in a sharp breath alerting Eric. She was humiliated. He looked up at Lorena with his jaw set and anger and holding Aine tightly, and responded in raised a raised voice. "YOU WILL NOT DISRESPECT YOUR MISTRESS AGAIN, IS THAT CLEAR?"

Lorena immediately went to her knees and asked for forgiveness for her actions. She knew her words were unwise, but couldn't imagine her meticulous master allowing anything old and ragged to be kept in his room.

She had heard about his new wife. The stories varied of course – she was so pretty and Eric was so hot for her, he locked them in a room so he could plow her for days ; she was quite ugly and odd looking that Eric hid her from everyone's sight ; Eric had been tricked into marrying an angel only to find her to be a hellion and a whore, so he locked her in their room to teach her some manners ; she was from a land of filth and had to be taught to act with grace, but Eric wanted her so much he married her anyway ; the stories went on and on…..

Whatever the case was, she knew, without a doubt, Eric expected his wife to be treated properly.

Eric dismissed her to finish her work. As she prepared to leave she bowed her head and again apologized to her Mistress and Master.

Eric looked down and saw that Aine was shaking and saw the fear on her face as she cowered from him. Eric shushed her and rubbed her back as he carried her back to bed. She was crying hard and he just held her, not knowing what to say.

Aine's humiliation had quickly turned to terror when Eric yelled. She saw how quickly his anger appeared. Gone were the memories of his soft touch, his smile, his patience with her. She remembered every bit of pain from her punishments and that Eric was a Viking ; Not just any Viking, but one who had killed her father and married her. She was naked in the arms of her angry owner and had no means of escape. Eric was agile, young, sober, and well rested….he could punish her for a long time without tiring. She felt his hands and heard his words. He was trying to calm her, but she just wanted him to let her go. She wanted to get away from him. He picked her up and she worried about what he was going to do now. She didn't know if her tears would deter him or egg him on. He placed her on the bed and snuggled her against him.

He wished he wouldn't have yelled. He wished he knew what to say. He wished he wasn't so damn helpless. Was everything he accomplished gone over one incident?

He felt her sobs decreasing and her body relaxing. She was what his mother called 'crying out' and soon she'd be 'all cried out'. He'd wait until then.

She quieted and laid there unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry I scared you."

She nodded.

"I didn't hurt her. I only told her to not speak out of turn to you or about your things. I can't allow someone to show you disrespect."

She didn't know what to say to his words. She thought about what could make the situation better and decided to repeat her most used phrase.

"Sorry."

Eric had no idea what she was sorry for. He assumed that she didn't know what else to do and hoped this magically word would protect her from his anger. He wasn't angry at her. At Lorena? Yes. At himself? Defiantly.

But her? Not at all.

He looked down at her and she tilted her head to look at him. Her eyes were half closed as she tried to not meet his gaze head on. He realized she had no confidence at this moment. He sighed and pulled her tightly against his chest.

"Where is that girl I met at the market?" He said softly.

"I don't know." She said, understanding him perfectly.

"You didn't fear me then."

"You couldn't hurt me then."


	13. Family

**Hello All!**

**I want to apoligize for the long wait. I hope to work more on my updates, sadly I've had a lot going on and would love nothing more than some time to write.**

**I want to thank everyone for the reviews - they really inspire me and motivate me greatly. sometimes I get so nit-picky about the my fics because I don't want to let any of my wonderful readers down.**

**I do want to note that none of my other fics are abandoned. I've written numerous drafts for Deadly Words and have tossed nearly each one of them. I hope to write something soon thats good enough to post. **

**hope everyone enjoys this! **

Eric awoke to knocking on the door. His wife didn't stir as he got out of bed and opened the door.

"It's the end of your three days." A slave stated without preamble.

She was nervous. Lorena had fled from the room the other day with tears running down her face and was now planning ways to not be near Eric. Her goal was to not interact with him forever or at least as long as possible. Eric's regular bed companions had also refused to go deliver the message to his room. Usually it was hard to keep the women from fighting over going to Eric, but now it had become a dreaded and dangerous task.

"Fine. We'll be ready for the evening meal. We need to bathe and ready ourselves."

"Y-"

Before she could finish her statement, Eric closed the door. This was another reason she didn't want to come. She knew he wouldn't listen to his mother's direction to come out right now. She sighed and walked away.

Eric had to plan to have little to no time. His mother might send someone else to pull him out of his room. He sat on the bed and pushed Aine's hair away from her face.

"Aine….Sweeting…you have to wake up." He began to gently shake her shoulder.

She groaned and stretched her body. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey you. We have to leave this room today."

"Then what?"

"We're going to bathe and your going to meet my – your new family" He corrected himself.

She thought about his words. She would be happy to bathe and stretch her legs. It was meeting people that made her uncomfortable. She didn't have family anymore. She wondered what would happen if they didn't like her. She looked at her husband, a man who knew her intimately, but whom she didn't feel very close to. Yet, he was her only ally and constant.

He watched her process this information. He was worried. They had gone to bed under horrible circumstances. He didn't have time to fix it now. He had to prepare her.

"They know little about you." She looked at his face as he spoke. "They know I chose you ; they know I want you. That's all you need to remember."

He paused to cup her face.

"Show them that girl from the market. You have nothing to fear….be brave and they will welcome you with open arms."

She nodded with her head still in his hands. He leaned in and kissed her. She felt his hands move away before his lips did. He walked away and peeked out the door. He snapped his fingers and a serving girl came running over.

"Go find Bjorn and tell him my wife needs her clothes." Eric shut the door without a second glace. He knew his friend would find her best gown and if it wasn't good enough he'd find her a new one.

As Eric turned back to Aine, he did not know what to say. They did not go to sleep in a good place for their relationship and neither of them slept well, having tossed and turned most of the night. Eric had even gotten up during the night to sit by the fire and just watch Aine sleep. He cared for her very much and he did not know how to find that girl from the market. She seemed scared of her new life, meeting her new family and she lacked that confidence and spunk that he admired that day in town when they met. He returned to bed shortly before dawn and slept until he heard the house stirring.

Looking at Aine now he said, "Your clothes will be here soon, do you need a moment of privacy?"

She nodded and he went to the door and turned his back to her. He heard her return to the bed so he turned to her, set on the bed and began to dress. A knock on the door signaled her clothes were here and he went to the door to meet Bjorn. Aine sank deeply into the covers, burying all but her eyes. She feared he would let Bjorn in and he would see her. After a hushed conversation between Eric and Bjorn, he shut the door and brought Aine her bag.

Taking the bag from Eric, she chanced a glance at him. He just looked back at her, he knew she wanted to ask him something so he waited.

"Um….. Eric, I am afraid that my clothing is not very pretty or…good enough to meet your family in."

She said humiliated. Even one of the people of lowest status felt it acceptable to ridicule her clothing. She was going to shame herself and Eric.

He looked at her thoughtfully and said, "Don't worry, I told Bjorn to go and buy you new clothing, shoes, and other things. He will place them in the bathing hut along with my clothes."

She nodded, "Thank You"

This relieved her fears about her appearance, but did little to assuage her embarrassment. Her husband, who would have gotten very little if anything for marrying her, now had to replace her clothing if he wanted to introduce her to his family.

"We need to get ready to go bathe, my mother will not allow us peace and quiet if we don't. She will keep sending servants in to check on us." He stated as he smiled sheepishly.

Having dressed they left the safety of their room and managed to make it to the bathing hut unnoticed. Upon arrival, he dismissed the servant knowing it would make Aine more comfortable without her there.

"I know you are upset and nervous still."

He stopped and looked at her. "Let me try and calm you. Let me make you relax."

He leaned down and kissed her. She kissed back. She was growing accustomed to this husband and wife business. It was truly one of the best things she had ever experienced and Eric was right – she'd be very relaxed after they finished.

Eric wanted to touch her ; to calm her ; to calm himself. He prayed they could get through this night

The two lovers began to tuck at one another's clothing. He was stripped nude first, but found it difficult to undo her dress and kiss her at the same time. Breaking from her lips, they both began to frantically undo the little buttons on her bodice and tug the gown off her. Her shift soon followed. He looked over her body and saw her eyes sweep over his. This turned him on more than anything.

Eric pulled her against him and started to kiss her. Hard. He grabbed her knee and pulled her leg around his hip, moaning when her body touched his arousal. He lifted her with his erection held tightly between their bodies. He moved them backward until the bench was right behind him. Pulling them down to sit, he broke their kiss.

"Do you want me?"

"Yes."

She wasn't 100% sure what he meant. She assumed he was referring to mating with him. She didn't know how they were going to do so in this bathing hut.

"Come here."

With much awkwardness and error, Eric situated his bride so that she straddled him. The tip of his cock rested against her opening. Together they lowered her unto him. He grasped her hips and moved her on his length. She gasped with surprised. She had no idea she could join with her husband like this. She barely had time to marvel at this new concept and consider other possibilities, before she felt his whole cock imbedded in her. This was the first time they had not used lubricant and she could feel some stinging, but she quickly got used to him and the pleasure he provided.

She learned how to move over him. She thought this was absolutely wonderful. She began to moan and wither as Eric kissed and nibbled the sensitive skin of her neck.

Eric wanted to bring her pleasure and hear her noise. He wanted everyone to hear her as a matter of fact. This would embarrass her, but he was fairly certain no one would make a comment to her face. Little was known about his marriage but he wanted everyone to know this: He and his wife found great pleasure in one another. He

If they were to draw their own conclusions he wanted them to have this tid bit of information.

Aine was well beyond rational thinking and well on her way to tremendous pleasure. She really liked this new position, she could feel him even better than before. Eric continued kissing and nibbling his way down to her breast, as she began to moan louder and ride him faster. She grabbed his hair pulling him back to her mouth just as he reached his hand down to flick her nub. She let go of his kiss and screamed 'Eric' as she finished quivering and shaking out of control, burying her face in his neck. He continued to help her ride him as he was close to his own finish. She began to bite and kiss his neck, the way he'd done to her. Hopefully he'd like it as much as she did. She began to ride him harder with his help and continued for a few more strokes as he came with a roar. Holding her close, feeling her warmth as her hands stroked his back. He returned the feeling gently squeezing her butt and placing gentle kisses on her neck and shoulder.

Raising his head to look her in the eyes, he smiled and kissed her nose resting their foreheads against each other.

"We need to get the hot water in the tub so we can bathe." He told her softly.

She nodded and began to rise up to her feet. He lifted her and set her gently on the bench and went to the fire. Lifting one of the pots of water from the large fire ring, he poured it into the tub to warm up the water brought from the stream. He continued this until it was warm enough and set the empty pots next to the fire. He lifted the last two that were still full onto the fire to warm and turned to Aine. Holding out his hand, beckoning her to come to him, he lifted her and set them both in the tub. The water was amazing to her tired and sore muscles, but she smiled shyly remembering how they got that way.

He turned her around so her back was to his chest and began to wet her beautiful red hair. Adding the soap, he gently washed and rinsed her hair laying it over her shoulder. He washed and massaged her back noticing that her marks were healing nicely. This pleased him, knowing that she would feel well very soon.

"Turn around", he stated and she did but would not look him in the eyes.

He reached out and raised her chin to look at him, "Will you help me wash my hair and back?" he asked.

"Yes, can you turn so I can reach your hair?" she said and he did just that.

After washing and rinsing his hair, she began to wash his back. He began to moan as she worked the lather over his taught muscles. She smiled; her idea to mimic his actions toward her was working well judging by the noises her husband was making. He turned to face her, picking up the soap, and began to wash her shoulders. He worked down her sides all the way to her toes. Handing her the soap she returned the same favor to him, massaging his feet as she finished. He scooted closer to her and put his legs around her. He lathered up his hands again and began to wash her chest, going all around her breasts without touching them. He moved to her stomach and smirked as she closed her eyes. When he went no further, she opened her eyes and looked at him. As she did, he leaned forward and began to kiss her. He began to work the lather over her breasts, pulling and squeezing as they kissed. He leaned back to the side of the tub bringing her with him and pulling her to sit atop his lap again.

She began to buck her hips with want as he lifted her and placed her on his shaft. They both moaned as he filled her. Reaching up and pulling her arms around his neck he pulled her tightly to him. He lifted her and helped her to ride him both finding a rhythm that was slower and softer than before. The two lovers kissed and nibbled one another's necks and lips.

Reaching to kiss her mouth again, he began to buck into her as they both reached climax screaming out each other's names. They held each other finally realizing the water had gotten cool. Having finished their bathing, he stood and pulled her up, lifting her to stand them on the mat by the fire. He helped her dry with the cloth and went to retrieve her new clothes. He dressed quickly and offered to help her. She smiled and accepted his help as some of the items were new to her. She had never had such fine clothing and she placed her hand on his.

"Thank you for these," She said pointing to the new clothes, "I have never had such nice things, they are too much for me, I don't deserve them."

She was gracious despite her pride being hurt. She brought him very little thus far. He hadn't gained much wealth and she knew there was nothing she could do for him politically. She truly couldn't think of anything she could do for him and certainly nothing that another woman couldn't do better.

He reached up from the buttons to cup her face.

"Aine, look at me"

She did.

"You are worth more to me than these few items; they are just the beginning. I wanted you to look like the lady you are; the lady who had the spirit and sass from the market. This," touching her dress, "is only a small token of your place in my life. I will give you much more and help you as you need me to."

Her eyes began to tear and he kissed her closed lids wiping her tears with his thumbs. She nodded and leaned against his chest as he hugged her to him. "I will make you proud of me tonight." She said.

He smiled and kissed her hair, "You already do."

Making him proud was the least she could do. It was hard to believe his words about her worth. She had no idea why he was interested in her. She was going to put on her best face and try to be as charming as possible. She obviously had some skill, this she knew, since Eric wanted to talk to her from the moment she approached him.

They left the bathing hut hand in hand and returned to their room. She noticed that it had been cleaned and the bedding changed. She wanted to ask him about this, but decided she would wait until after dinner. Eric brought her over to sit with him on the bed, having only one chair in the room. He took her hand between his and told her, with a smile, not to worry and that everything would go fine tonight.

He went to the shelf over the fireplace and grabbed two boxes. He set them down and reached for the larger one first. He pulled out one of her mother's necklaces and put it on for her as she held up her hair. Her fingers stroked the metal and stone in the middle. She realized she was a woman now, an adult. She couldn't really be sure if her life was so very different than other girls, but she assumed if she had a mother's guidance adulthood and marriage would be easier for her.

She rarely grieved over not having a mother. Once she grew enough to be able to work, there were more important things to think about. And although there was often much to cry about, crying was mostly pointless. The fear she'd lived with under her father's roof was just another part of her life. The new fear she felt being Eric's wife was crippling.

Eric wondered what she was thinking. He knew she was dealing with major changes in her life that had come in a short time. It didn't escape him, either, that putting on this jewelry was a very emotional thing for her. She was a new wife, meeting her in-laws for the first time, and her own mother was dead. He needed to move along and calm her once more.

He reached for the next box and she turned to watch him. He opened it and she gasped. He took out a broach. When he fastened it, he kissed the column of her throat.

"It's beautiful, are you sure?" She asked.

"Yes, I am very sure. Here stand up for me."

She did and he reached around her back pulling the most beautiful chain she had ever seen around her waist. He knotted it in the front over her right leg and fastened a beautiful key to it.

"This represents your role in our marriage. You are in charge of our home and it is your job to run it to the best of your ability. It is tradition in my culture for the bride to wear this on her wedding day, but as tonight is part of our celebration feast I'd like you to wear it for me tonight."

She nodded, but couldn't find the words to express what she was feeling. Her joy, her fear, her grief, her lingering self loathing, her ambivalence for her husband, and her overwhelming confusion.

He stood up and hugged her with a quick kiss. Replacing the box on the shelf, he told her he would give her some time to herself while he checked what time they were expected to be at dinner. Finding his mother directing two of the slaves, he asked to speak with her. His mother asked where Aine was, and Eric explained that she was in their room taking care of personal needs.

"I wanted a moment to speak with you alone. Aine is very shy and not at all use to a large family. Please do not overwhelm her on her first night," he paused, "Please."

Eric pleaded with his eyes knowing his mother could not resist. He smiled and kissed her cheeks, giving her a quick hug, he left to return to his bride.

When he returned, he asked, "Are you ready?"

"Um…I guess; as much as I am going to be." She answered.

"Don't worry, its only dinner, you will do fine. Just remember there is only one person you must please and that is me." He said.

She looked scared at that statement. He chuckled taking her face in his hands, he looked her in the eyes and said,

"I am more pleased with you than I ever thought possible. You needn't worry about that, I cannot imagine you displeasing me."

He gave her the mother of all kisses. She was still at a loss for words

Leaving their room, they walked hand in hand to the dining hall to greet his family. They were all anxious to meet his new bride, the gossip already having spread about their bathing activities. Everyone was quietly talking as they approached. Walking through to the trestle table, a hush fell over the crowd, Aine looked down and took a deep breath as he squeezed her hand.

"I would like to present my bride, Aine." Eric boasted.

"Welcome Eric and Aine" the crowd said in unison as they clapped.

They walked to where his mother was standing with a group of women.

"Mother, I would like to introduce my wife Aine. Aine this is my mother."

The nodded to each other and his mother reached out for her other hand.

"Welcome Aine, I am so glad to finally meet you." His mother said as she smiled. She continued, "Eric, why don't you go talk to your father, Aine and I will be getting to know each other better."

Eric smiled at her, gave his mother a hug and whispering in her ear, asking her to be nice and help her feel comfortable. His mom nodded. Turning to Aine, he leaned down and kissed both of her cheeks and then her lips, "I will be back soon" Eric told her. She nodded and smiled shyly to Eric as he left to join his dad.

Aine was a little embarrassed by everyone staring at her. She heard some people gasp when Eric kissed her. She began to prep herself for the interaction with her new mother-in-law.

Eric's mother was very unsure as well. She knew little about her daughter-in-law and tried to not be influenced by the gossip that was moving like wildfire over the past three days. She was shocked by Eric's behavior. While she knew her son was protective, she never expected to see behavior like this in him. There were no threats to him and his wife from their family. Some families might have worked to end such a marriage, but that possibility was never seriously considered. No one would insult Aine either and certainly there would be no physical violence. Yet Eric was very nervous about her treatment. She shook her head and began to introduce her new daughter to the other women.

Eric sat down near the head of the table. His eyes stayed on Aine.

"So that's your new wife…the one with the red hair?" His father inquired.

Eric was a little unsure how to precede, a feeling he wasn't used to.

"Yes. What did mother tell you?"

"Not much. She wants to get to know the girl before she decides how much to yell at you." He replied evenly.

"I see. And you?"

"I'm doing the same," He paused. "I probably won't yell. Your mother is skilled enough in that area for the both of us."

"I don't suppose you could help me to decrease the yelling?"

"Oh no! I'm going to enjoy watching my eldest son who married a foreign girl without permission get yelled at by his mother. It will be a tale better than what the most talented skald could come up with."

Eric only grimaced, feeling no humor at his situation. Before the conversation could continue, platters of food were carried to the table. Everyone began to find their seats. Eric's bride walked up to him. He smiled and pulled her down beside him, putting his arm around her waist. Every eye in the room was on the new couple. Even the children quieted to watch the spectacle. Aine felt her heart rate increase. She hoped if anything had to be said, Eric did the talking. He began to idly stroke her unbruised side with his finger tips – a gesture not missed by those nearest to them.

Golden goblets were placed in front of Eric and his parents. Eric's mother held her's to be filled by a slave. Eric's father went next with his. The last goblet was to be shared by the bride and groom. Eric reached for it and had it filled. Everyone watched to see which of the newlyweds would drink first. Eric felt some tension. He should have told Aine about this custom. He cleared the thought from his mind. Even if she knew, he'd still be the one to drink second, even if he had to purse his lips and wait for his wife to sip first. He moved it toward her and her hand came over his. They tilted the glass back and she drank. He pulled it away, paused, smiled, and finished what was left. Aine was very embarrassed at this point, but knew she had behaved correctly once everyone began to clap.


	14. Adjusting

**wooo...here it is.**

**this chapter took me forever! sorry for the wait. I can't say I'm 100% please with it. but its posted.**

**I'm excited about the next chapter and really want to do it justice, but hopefully it will be done quickly.**

**I have a co-author for Deadly Words and a draft for the next chapter. **

**I also wanted to thank everyone for their feedback, via reviews and inbox messages, on my fics. **

Dinner went along smoothly. Eric promised his father to talk about what goods he brought back. Eric and his father knew he was lacking in some items, but they decided to not ruin the celebration with that conversation. As people finished eating, they began to move about the hall. Eric looked at Aine, who wisely stopped drinking early on, and asked if she was finished. She told him she was and two slaves came to remove their plate and clean up the table.

Eric put his arm around his wife and went to mingle with his people. Aine was lead to a small circle of people consisting of Bjorn, Sven, tow women, and another man she didn't know.

"What are you talking about?" Eric inquired.

"Oh, just how you fell on your knees and begging your lovely bride to wed with you." Sven replied.

Aine's mouth fell open. She knew this wasn't true. She wondered how Eric would react. Would there be a fight? She didn't even pay attention to the comments of the other women, as she watched Eric's reaction.

"That's not how I remember it." He said evenly.

"How did it happen, Eric?" one of the women asked.

Eric smiled, and Aine tried to not let her nervousness show. "I was very much the gentleman and asked my lovely wife here to marry me. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, she agreed."

He smiled at Aine.

She tried to relax.

"No, no…that's not how I remember it at all." Bjorn began, "You asked and she made you wait. And then questioned you about everything you'd give her."

"Ah-" Eric tried to interrupt.

"I swear he all but promised her the stars and the moon before she finally granted his request!"

Aine began to feel her nerves increase once more. Why were his friends trying to make him look bad?

"Not to gossip," Began the other woman, "But I've heard some things about your marriage as well."

"Do tell." Sven urged her on.

"I heard that Eric got Aine in a Viking manner ; that he pulled her out of her home in the middle of the night and married her."

"That's true." Eric smiled.  
Four pairs of eyes bulged out. No one thought such a rumor could be true. Aine wanted to run away.

"Wow…well…you really….!" The woman sputtered.

"How did you react?" The man asked Aine.

Suddenly all eyes were on her. Her mouth went dry, her heart began to pound, and she found it hard to breath.

"I…ummm…I..."

Eric couldn't stand to see her flounder. "She wanted to become my wife at dawn."

"Really?"

Aine saw her moment. "Yes, I thought it would be romantic."

The women sighed.

"Why wouldn't you do that for me!" the woman turned and poked the man, who was apparently her husband.

"Oh thank you Eric! Now all of the women will be yelling at us for not being like you!"

Eric laughed, "Don't they already?"

Aine relaxed and yawned. She was getting tired.

"I think we best retire." Eric said.

They gave their farewells and walked off to their room. Eric closed and bolted the door. He began stripping off his clothes and a tired Aine tried to get all of her jewelry off. Eric moved to his wife to assist her with only his pants on. Before long, her jewels were back in their boxes and she was shedding her gown. Eric paused before pulling off the last of his clothing and crawling into bed. Aine kept her shift on and slid in bed next to him. They found each other in the dark and he kissed her forehead.

"You did well tonight."

She sighed and snuggled against him, falling asleep within moments.

The next morning they were up early. Eric was very nervous, an emotion quite foreign to him, about his wife's first day away from him. He dressed quickly and eyed her pulling on one of her old gowns. He decided to leave it alone since she was going to be moving around today and he had more important things to worry about. He hoped there were no issues and she could maintain her façade of a well-adjusted new bride.

"After we break our fast, I'll go find the men and leave you with my mother and the other women." Eric told her.

"That's fine."

She didn't understand why Eric was so anxious. She was tempted to tell him that keeping a home was something she was very good at. Maybe after seeing the failing condition of her aged home and the cheapness of her stuff, he assumed she wasn't very good at managing a home. She hoped that wasn't the case. Although she didn't wish to wed Eric at the time, she was ashamed of how she and her home looked when he came to her. Eric appeared to be far wealthier than she was and to be in a position of power. She was just a country girl and a misfit.

She knew Eric wanted and desired her. But she also remembered her father's words about her bride price. Did Eric really refuse a reasonable marriage payment? Did he originally deem her unworthy of an honorable bride price?

She shook her head and finished getting ready.

"All ready?" He asked and she nodded.

The new couple left their room with their arms around one another.

There was much to do and breakfast finished quickly. There was hardly no talking as people grabbed food and ate as they walked. Aine walked with Eric to the kitchen to meet with his mother. The women were polite and exchanged "good mornings". Eric took this as a good sign. Eric was informed that his father was looking for him. He knew he'd have to give inventory of their trip and account for what he didn't bring back with him. On that note, he kissed his wife and went in search of his father.

Aine looked around the room and asked his mom, Hida, how she could help with the daily chores.

Hida smiled and sad, "Come with me, let's find Ingrid, Eric's little sister, and get the slaves started on their work then we will talk while we work."

Aine smiled nervously and nodded.

Going into the cooking area, Hida instructed the slaves that they are to obey Aine just as they would Ingrid or herself. Aine did not feel comfortable with that, but would make an effort for Eric.

"Mrs. Northman?" Aine asked.

"Call me Hida, what is your question?" replied his mom.

"What would you like me to do?" asked Aine.

Hida smiled at her, pleased to see that she was willing to work and said, "You and I can go over to the table and we will talk about what work there is to do here and they we can decide what to do today."

Aine nodded.

"Ingrid, bring us a drink and join us." Hida said.

Ingrid left them to go after the drinks as Aine and Hida went to the small table in the cooking area.

"The biggest job we have is to make sure the meals are prepared, the small garden tended and the laundry is done." Hida said. "We also have to make sure the slaves do the cleaning, dishes, make the beds, shake the rugs, and empty the chamber pots every morning right after breakfast."

Aine only nodded in reply. As Ingrid joined them with the drinks, Aine began to feel uncomfortable. One on one was fine, but now she had two people in front of her that she needed to act well for so as not to disappoint Eric.

Hida and Ingrid could see Aine shrinking in her chair so they spoke softly.

"Aine, may I ask what types of chores you did at your house?" Hida asked.

Aine looked at her hands folded in her lap, bit her lip, and replied softly, "All of them."

Hida and Ingrid shared a look at that, but luckily Aine did not see it.

"Lets begin our day." Stated Hida after they finished their drinks.

Aine's first day began with a tour. She tried hard to memorize where everything was and found herself intimidated by the large keep. They went to the cooking area, both showing Aine where everything was. From there they went through the house, she saw each room and was told what went on in each. From there they went outside and looked through the garden. Aine really liked the garden. Saying as much, Hida told her that she could work there this morning and they would finish the tour this afternoon. Aine smiled at that, she was happy to be outside.

"The slaves helped us take care of the animals early this morning before you and Eric joined us, so we will tend to them again this afternoon. We also will do some

mending, weaving, and such after lunch. How does that sound?" asked Hida

Aine nodded but Hida saw a question on her face and asked what it was.

"I am afraid that I do not know how to weave very well. We did not have a loom and I did cleaning work in trade for fabric." She looked down again, ashamed of her home life. Hida smiled and said that it was fine. She took Aine's hand causing her to look up at her. "We will figure it out."

Aine nodded.

Eric sat across from his brooding father. They had enough goods to trade, there was no imminent fear of the impending winter, but there were concerns. The number of slaves was low and more needed to be traded at the market to compensate for the lack of goods Eric brought home. His father was yet to come up with a solution that would make everyone happy. The women and children wouldn't be happy if the men went raiding again; it was going to be hard enough to decide which men would go to the market. Although he hadn't said it aloud, no one doubted that Eric didn't wish to leave his wife.

"Alright, I'll think about this. Today let's double check what we take to the market and what we need to trade for. I'll check with your mother to see how the fields and harvesting is going, she might need extra hands." Gustav, his father, said.

Eric nodded and kept thinking about their situation as he went off to work. He was unhappy with his behavior that had put them in this situation. It was going to be a rough fall between his lapses while going a-viking and trying to aid his wife.

Hida watched her daughter-in-law through out the day; usually from afar. She wasn't sure how she felt about her yet. She did feel compelled to comfort the timid girl when they toured the keep. At first, she was quite worried about this girl's ability to one day be the mistress of a keep and run her son's home. She felt some relief later in the day when one of the ladies came to assist Aine in the garden. They were actually laughing and talking about animals and telling stories.

She went to monitor the cleaning and readying of the hall for the evening meal. Eric found her soon after with a look of worry spread across his face.

"How is my wife?" He asked without preamble.

"Fine."

"What has she done today? How was she treated by the women?"

"She was fine, Eric." His mother replied exacerbated. What was the matter with him lately? She still hadn't decided if she was going to yell at him for getting married, but she was fairly certain that a few more days of him worrying over his wife, she'd scream his ear off.

"Can you please tell me how she got along with everyone?" He said as kindly as possible. He was so anxious to find out what happened to Aine and wished his mother would just tell him already.

His mother looked at him and decided to just answer him. She was starting to get worried about her son's actions.

"She's...a sweet girl." She paused to gather her words. "She's quiet and very independent."

"How so?" Eric asked, slightly relieved.

"She moves from one task to the next."

Actually, she worked silently and faster than everyone else. Hida couldn't keep up with her and doubted most of the others could either.

"I don't want her to work too much."

"Oh! Eric! What do you think I'm working the poor girl to death!" His mother said angrily.

"No…no, I don't think that." Eric corrected himself. "But she will. She'll keep working if you let her. I don't want that."

Hida was very concerned at this point. What was going on with her son's marriage? With his wife?

She remembered Aine's words about doing everything at her old home. She wondered how she'd get her son to tell her what was going on. If Eric didn't come out and say something, it usually meant he was unwilling to share it, even if asked.

"She seemed fine today."

Eric knew a dismissal when he heard one.

Hida had to finish getting the hall ready and didn't want to speak to Eric until she had a better idea how she felt about Aine.

Sven and Bjorn found time to talk amongst themselves. They both worried about Eric and Aine. They had quelled a few gossip trains and redirected conversations away from the topic of Eric & Aine. they walked and stopped when they saw Aine working in the garden. She had a determined look on her face and her hands were working furiously in the dirt. She had mud coating her arms up to her elbows. They could see sorted piles of fruits, vegetables, and waste from the garden (weeds, access leaves from the crop, sticks, stones, ect). Eric's father came to stand by them. They changed the topic of their conversation.

"How will Eric feel about his wife working the garden?" His father asked.

"I don't know…we'll find out tonight I'm sure." Said Bjorn.

"Speaking of tonight, I'll go tell her it's almost time to eat." Said Sven excusing himself.

Gustav wasn't a stupid man. He noticed how quiet the two were speaking together and how they evaded his question. They were there when his son met Aine and they knew more about the marriage than anyone else, save the bride and groom.

"Tell me the truth…" He said looking at the man in front of him as though he was still a boy, "Should I be concerned?"

Bjorn could almost feel the sweat form and drip down his brow as Eric's father stared at him. He had to choose his words wisely.

"No…Eric, wanted to get married. He hasn't changed his mind."

"And Aine?"

"He makes her…happy."

Bjorn honestly didn't know how to describe how Eric made her feel. But how could someone not be happy to be with someone who provided for them, cared for them, and didn't harm them?

Gustav nodded and accepted his response. He wasn't completely at ease but knew Eric had friends to aid him if need be.

Sven walked to Aine and noted how she didn't even notice him until he got right behind her.

She turned and looked at him, with her hands still in the ground.

"We're getting ready to eat?"

"When?" She asked with a slight panic to her voice.

"Soon. Why don't you go clean up?"

"I'm…I'm almost done. Is Eric waiting for me?"

She was scared of what would happen if she had to be at dinner before she finished working. Sven could see the fear on her face. He crouched down to her eye level and lowered his voice.

"You can do more tomorrow. No one will mind. You must be hungry, go clean up."

She nodded, a little confused about this reaction to her not completing chores. She was hungry. She only took a small break to drink some water and ate a piece of fruit with one of the other ladies, who offered it to her. She stopped what she was doing and let Sven lead her away. He was careful to not touch her, fearing she wouldn't react well.

Everyone finally gathered for dinner. Eric and Aine began to search for one another. Eric was still worried about how she handled her first day and Aine was worried over Eric's opinion of her first day. Both lovers were relieved when they embraced. Aine looked well and happy. Eric seemed pleased.

They sat next to each other and Eric's parents watched them intently from the corners of their eyes. Neither Aine nor Eric, seemed to notice. As soon as they finished eating, Eric excused them both to their chamber.

He bolted the door and pulled her against him, crushing his lips against hers. She kissed him back and began to stroke his hair. He lifted her and carried her to the bed. They quickly pulled their clothes off.

"Did you miss me?" He asked kissing down her throat.

"Yes." She breathed heavily.

Her hands alternated between rubbing his back and fisting in his hair. His mouth worshipped her breasts and his fingers sought out her heat. She moaned and dug her nails into his mane.

"Eric….please…"

He smiled and guided himself into her. Their bodies melted into one another. Eric enjoyed listening to his wife moan, whimper, and cry out for him. Aine couldn't get enough of his touch and the feel of him inside of her and his weight on top of her.

He stayed buried inside her long after he finished. She didn't seem the least bit inclined to release him.

Hida and Gustav laid in bed, both unable to sleep. She couldn't hold back and unleashed all of her feelings about her son and his marriage. She was angry, shocked, worried, annoyed, and slightly happy for son. She didn't spare her husband one detail. He listened about his daughter-in-law's first day.

"She's so quiet! How did Eric ever fall for her? Did she even say more than two words to him?"

"You said you heard her talking to one of the other women."

"I was shocked. She even laughed…she should talk more; all she did was work."

"It sounds like her home wasn't very desirable." He replied, "Perhaps that helped to make her shy. She doesn't sound used to living with so many people."

"What little she said, does sound bad."

The couple paused.

"Do you think she married Eric just to get away from there?" Hida continued.

"No, I saw the way she looks at him." He replied.

"I still don't know why he couldn't just wait or come to us for a wife. We picked well for his first one."

"He must have been really taken with her."

She huffed.

"Come now…. Not everyone is lucky when it comes to their parents picking their spouse. Think of all the women who didn't get to have me, when we wed."

He smiled.

"Ugh!" She pinched his arm.

He pulled her close and kissed her temple.

"Eric is fine. His marriage will be fine. Everything will be fine….Let's sleep."

And they did.


	15. Preperations

Alright people, here it is !

thanks for the reviews! I needed them, its been a rough week.

This is actually a short chapter. I had a much longer one planned, but it ended up too* long. and I've been stressed and busy, so I decided to just toss out a short one.

Hope everyone enjoys!

Eric and his father stared at one another. Eric felt his plan was sound and after questioning himself at length knew any and all of his selfish reasoning could be supported by a logical perspective. He did however still carry some doubt. He was going to have to sell this.

"We have time before the frost hits," He began. "We can send out a group of men to gather and trade what we need."

"And who would this band of men be made up of? Who will lead?"

"My two oldest brothers with guidance from Bjorn and which ever other man you chose."

Gustaf was not a stupid man. He knew Eric wanted to stay with his wife. He himself worried about his daughter in law if she was without her husband. He was still unsure about his eldest son's idea. He was also enjoying watching Eric explain this not-so-altruistic plan.

"Why them?"

"I'm going to my own home next summer. My brother needs to prepare to be the heir to this home and the others will take on more tasks as well, after I'm gone. My men need to prepare to be my second and help me run my village. This is good practice."

He nodded. Eric had actually made a fair point. He was being a bit dramatic as he would only be on the other side of the trees. It wasn't as though he wouldn't be near and the two households would never work together.

"I'll accept your reasoning…and I'm happy you are ready to make your own home by the way…set up what you can and I'll select some of the men to assist your brothers. We'll all tell your mother together."

Eric paled. He hoped his father would tell his mother about her 2nd and 3rd son venturing off their first time without him or their father. He nodded, knowing this point was non negotiable.

Aine had always kept her house moving, but she lived in a town. It was practically a city compared to Eric's home. What she didn't make on her own, she bought. This was hard during the time when her father went through more money than he made, but they always got by. She stood back and watched the women cure and preserve food. The amounts astonished her. They talked about how lucky they were this year and they knew they would all eat well this winter.

She was trying to memorize the process so she could help. She was also listening to the small talk. She was amazed by Eric's sister, Ella. She laughed and spoke loudly. She talked abut how silly her brothers were. She didn't seem to have any fear about her. Aine assumed this was because none of the men were near. Or because she was young and had a mother. Aine was becoming confused with her husband's whole family.

Eric's mother kept a watchful eye on her daughter in law. She was observing and learning more than working today. At lest she didn't fear her working herself to death. She had a hard time fully believing that Aine wasn't smart enough to ask for break or not take on too many tasks, but she was a demon when it came to work.

Everything revolved around preparing for the winter. Aine cringed slightly when some of the slaves were ordered from task to task. While some of the slave girls seemed to get along with the free women, Aine couldn't help but pity them. From her experience, once someone saw you as below them, they were never kind or friendly; not really.

She pushed these thoughts aside and went back to work.

Eric thought about Aine as the men talked. He wanted to whisk her off for a horse ride. He was positive it would make her happy. He wondered if she would be all right riding in front of him if he took her near the cliffs. He wouldn't let her ride alone there.

"Eric…Eric…"

His men were trying to get his attention.

"Leave him be, he keeps thinking about that redheaded bride of his."

Everyone laughed, but Eric.

He didn't feel like having this discussion. When he first married he would loved to engage in some male bonding over raunch talk. Now, it didn't appeal to him. He had too much on his mind and didn't want to lie. Sex was great. But when your wife was so distrusting, bragging about your marital successes (even solely the bedchamber ones) made Eric feel like a fake.

"He'll have an heir, with some more babes to spare, for his home very soon I'm sure."

Eric paused. He hadn't really thought about children. He was too preoccupied on his wife's problems and getting ready for the winter. He saw everyone awaiting a reply from him.

"I don't know. We're not trying for children right now."

"Are you trying to stop her from getting pregnant?" Bjorne asked before he could stop himself.

Methods to prevent pregnancy weren't very reliable but they existed. He was surprised to hear Eric imply he was trying to prevent his seed from taking root.

"No… When I want her, I take her. When she wants me, she comes to me." He shrugged, hoping to close the matter.

Most of the men knew something was amiss. The laughter was quieter and had a nervous ring to it.

"As I said….you'll be a father soon."

The topic was changed and Eric was left alone to think about his wife, his life, the winter, and the pile of issues before him.

Dinner went by as usual. Aine was prepared for the loud talking and listened to the conversation. Eric finished eating first and put his hand no his wife's back while she ate. He noted that she laughed more during the conversing when he did so. At least now, with the second raiding/gathering trip planned, Eric had one less thing to worry about it.

They retired to their room. His parent watched them walk away. Eric's mom was still committed to understanding the confusion that was this marriage. She didn't understand why he didn't just take her as a frille and allow for another political marriage to be arranged for him. She also wondered about her daughter-in-law's family. Her husband didn't seem as concerned as he should be in her opinion.

But he was concerned. Eric's commitment to his marriage couldn't be questioned. He also wasn't lying when he said told his wife about the way Aine looked at their son. Her meekness and Eric's protectiveness were alarming, but the two obviously cared about each other. He had no other choice but to sit back, observe, and let his son handle his marriage.

Aine watched Eric walk around the room naked. He adjusted thing in his armory. He inspected his dagger that was sharpened for him earlier that afternoon. He forgot to put his belt back in its normal spot and walked back to the other side of the room.

Like usual, he didn't pay any attention to the fact that he was naked. He didn't care about the parts and angles of him his wife was watching as he stood, sat, kneeled, squatted, and walked around the room.

She shook her head and tugged her shift down. She crawled in the bed and adjusted the blankets.

Eric caught her staring at him and shaking her head.

"What?"

She looked at him, slightly blushing and a little nervous about how to phrase her words.

"You aren't bothered about being naked."

"I was born naked." He smiled with pride.

"I think I was born in a night gown."

She immediately sobered. She hadn't mentioned her nightgowns since Eric told her he didn't want her to wear them. She hadn't used what her father referred to as her 'smart sass mouth', with Eric since before they were wed. things had been going very well in their marriage and she just had to go and mess it up.

Eric almost laughed at her quip. He was so happy to hear her joke with him. but then he saw her stiffen and that sad look of fear take over her face once more. He sat next to her and ignored her flinch.

"I don't know….I think you were born naked as well."

She relaxed. He wasn't angry with her. She didn't understand why he wasn't. She kept waiting for the day when she'd upset him. She didn't know how to avoid that moment or what to not do. He didn't make any sense to her and that made her even more frightened of him.

He brushed her hair back and claimed her lips. She kissed him. Pushing aside her fears, she thought about how silly she was to blush when he was naked. They were about to come together again, as they did each night, and here she was just a moment ago blushing like she was still a virgin.

He disrobed her and laid beside her, with both of them on their sides. They kissed and their hands roamed one another. He caught her hand and began to guide it down his torso. She remembered the day they consummated their marriage. She was so brazen to touch him. She still couldn't believe it. and she was about to do it again.

"Feel me….I want you so bad." He rasped.

She gasped when her hand was placed over his member. She felt akward as she tried to touch him like last time.

"Lover," She looked up at him. "Take your time. I want you to know and enjoy my body."

She nodded and began to run her hand over his head, his shaft, and her fingertips over his scrotum. He hissed. She spent a great amount of time feeling him. she held him tighter and put more pressure on him ; then less. She used her whole hand, her fingers, and the very tips of her digits.

He couldn't take it anymore.

"I need to be inside of you!"

She smiled at his words and was shocked when he rolled over on her. She never knew anyone could move that fast. He was inside her and bucking his hips hard seconds later.

His hand found her and he rubbed her furiously. He was going to cum and cum fast. She needed to climax first and he was determined to pleasure her.

She felt those hard, intense feelings she did every time her husband touched her. Her release was coming quickly. She began to moan and pant, which only spurred Eric on. She screamed when she orgasmed around his cock. His hips slammed into her once, twice, three more times before he exploded inside of her.

Whatever happened and whatever would happen tomorrow, Eric knew this was right. This moment where he laid in bed with his wife, his penis still inside of her, and her arms wrapped around him.

Aine, too, knew that this was great. Whatever confusion and mystery Eric was to her, she knew she enjoyed their time together. For the first time in a long time, maybe forever, she felt relaxed and disconnected from all of her problems….


	16. Accident

_**Hello All!**_

_**once more I cut this chapter down quite a bit and am still behind.**_

_**I was to apoligize in advance, its been brought to my attention that Eric's sister's name appears different in some chapters. I've had a few friends proof read for me and have had two friends work as coauthors with me. This has lead to a few mistake here and there. **_

_**so from hence forth, Eric's sister is Ella**_

_**...extra side note: I'm not addicted to Tumblr. so feel free to look up 22wolf . . there isn't much there because only one person follows me.**_

_**...double extra side note: NEW CONTEST - VALENTINES FAE TALES**_

**More information (you know the drill - take out the spaces):**

**Official contest information: ht tp: / w w w. fan fic tio n. ne t/ ~va len tin esf aet ales**

**Official contest blog: ht tp: / val ent ine sfa eco nte st. blo gsp ot.c om**

**FanFiction Community: ht tp: / for um. fan fic tio n.n et /forum /Valentines_Fae_Tales_Contest/83101/**

_****_

I already peaked at an example story...looks like there is going to be some great fics with this one!

* * *

****The next morning was uneventful. Aine finished eating and went right to the kitchens to work. She was there before the other women and smiled kindly at the slaves who were already hustling around. She started doing all of the things she'd been learning from the other women. She accomplished quite a bit before the other women got there.

The chatter quickly began and Aine listened, but said little. She really didn't have many stories to share. She laughed with some of the women, but didn't understand all the humor in stories about people she didn't know.

By midday Eric, his mother, and his Father sat in the great hall to discuss the trip they were planning. Eric's two oldest brothers and four older men stayed near the door and eavesdropped. This ended up being unnecessary as Eric's mother yelled loud enough for the whole village to hear her. The conversation lasted for hours.

The women kept up with their work and gossip. Eric's sister, Ella, recounted a funny story that poked fun at the warriors in the village. Even Aine, without knowing the men very well, found it to be hilarious. The girls soon stopped working to laugh. Aine laughed so hard her ribs hurt. Slowly her giggles died down and she turned to reach for something on the other table. The next noise heard was the sound of a clay bowl crashing to the ground. Aine had accidentally knocked it over, shattering it into dozens of pieces.

She gasped loudly and froze. The other ladies stopped as well and began to pick up the pieces.

"Aine?" Ella asked cautiously, wondering why her sister-in-law she hadn't moved.

"Where is Eric?" She asked fretfully.

"In the long house." She replied confused.

Aine nodded.

How could this have happened? She was having such a good day. She was having a good marriage as well. The panic hit her once she saw the broken pieces. She immediately wondered where Eric was. Would he come now? Would he see what she did?

She excused herself, using the excuse of needing to relieve herself. She walked as far away as she could so no one would hear her struggle to breathe and watch the tears fall from her eyes.

She knew how upset her mother in law was over what she and the men were discussing. Aine was shocked to hear Eric's mom yell. She assumed that Eric's quiet father simply did not yell and that Eric couldn't yell back because it was his mother. This meant he would be stressed and angry before he even learned about what she did.

She didn't know which was worse: him finding out from one of the women or from her?

Either way, he'd be humiliated to have such a clumsy, careless wife.

She thought about everything Eric had given her. She brought very little to their marriage and then she broke his family's possessions.

She briefly wondered if he would strike her in front of everyone. He might feel the need to punish her in front of everyone.

She shook her head.

She was his wife. Surely that entitled her to some privacy and dignity, even when he was angry.

She composed herself so she could get back to work. No need to make the issue worse by being lazy on top of it. She would wait to tell him; try to avoid his punishment. It had been a while since she was in trouble and she'd never been in trouble with her husband. She really didn't want to feel the pain again.

When the yelling from the long house got loud, the women would stop and listen. Two of the slaves spied on the whole conversation and ran back and forth with reports to the other women.

Aine fell into the background and worked quietly. She told one of the other women she was getting a headache and drank the water offered to her. Ella kept watching her sister in law. There was something wrong. Her reaction was not normal and the way she asked about Eric was very unexpected. She wanted to figure out what was going on and knew Aine wouldn't tell her.

Both Ella and Aine ignored the gossip about the talking in the long house. Hida's yells about the safety of her 'babies' without their eldest brother and father were heard by nearly everyone. In the end, she conceded and her sons were excited to hear about their first trip with the men.

Dinner was served without issue and no one brought up the 'discussion' from that morning. Eric's father gently touched his wife's arm when she sat beside him. She curled her lip, but didn't reject his comfort. She decided he was insane to agree to their son's idea. But forced herself to try and trust him and Eric. She couldn't imagine what would happen if her sons were hurt on this trip.

Aine sat silent and Eric knew something was wrong. She tried desperately to hide her fear. In Eric's eyes, she was failing miserably. He wanted to get her alone and ask what happened. She hardly touched her food and seemed to spend most of her time picking at it, but not really eating.

Eric saw Ella watching his wife and looking just as anxious for answers as he was. He caught her eye and excused himself from the table. She followed a moment later with a determined look on her face. She would find out what was going on if she had to box her brother's ears.

"What is going on?" She asked without preamble once they were in the kitchen and out of earshot.

"What happened with Aine today?" Eric asked, ignoring her question.

"She broke a bowl…and she hasn't been right since."

Ella didn't know how to explain the panicked look on Aine's face. The way she inquired about Eric's where-abouts. How she left in a huff and same back as silent and pale as a ghost.

"Ella, I did not want to reveal this, but you must promise that you will tell no one. NO ONE!" Eric's eyes were hard and imploring. She needed to understand the seriousness of their conversation.

"Her father was a pig ; a monster. He kicked her and beat her with a whip! When I saw the marks, I had to avenge her."

Ella stared at Eric, and then her eyes widened as she comprehended what he was saying. "Is that why you came back early?"

"Yes," he said, looking down at the floor. Then he caught her eyes again. "No one must know of this. I do not want my wife shamed. She is not a victim to be pitied nor a spectacle to be gawked at and gossiped about."

Ella nodded. She was shocked. The thought of her sister-in-law being abused never occurred to her. She wasn't the least bit repulsed that Eric has killed the man. She probably would have been upset if he didn't.

"Why is she terrified of you?"

"I do not know for sure, but I think she is waiting for me to lose my temper and hurt her. She has never known anything but fear and pain from the only man in her life before she met me…What can I do, Ella? How can I make her understand that she is precious to me? I have never beaten a woman; you know this!"

Eric confided, wondering if he was putting too much on Ella. She was still young yet. He tried to see her as a woman, someone on the verge of marriage negotiations, and not a little one hanging on his leg when he came back from hunting with the men, she was beautiful and smart. She was persistent and he knew he had to tell her the truths he shared. She would go to her husband with an open heart. He'd be a man Eric and their parents approved of. As well as a man Ella approved of. She would have the confidence only a wife from a loving family has.

Something his wife lacked.

Ella stood silently, contemplating his dilemma. "I will have to think about it, Eric," she said quietly. "I will not reveal your secret. I'm sorry Eric."

The brother and sister were at a loss for words. He nodded and reached out, pulling her into his arms. She hugged him back.

"Don't treat her like a wounded bird you found in the woods. She is strong. She just doesn't know it yet."

Eric asked her.

"I won't." She said trying to believe Aine would be anything but the quiet mouse she appeared to be.

The two broke apart and composed themselves. They walked back into the hall as thought nothing had happened. Eric saw Aine sitting quietly. She told his mother that she had a headache and that's why she wasn't eating. His mom appeared to believe this. He walked over to her and phrased his words carefully.

"Do you wish to retire for the evening?" He asked quietly.

She tried to suppress a shuddered. Everyone, but her husband, missed it. She nodded, said "goodnight" and walked a long side her husband to bed. She couldn't remember being so fearful. This was it. This was every fear she had since her engagement coming true

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_**I hope everyone is enjoying this.**_

_**it can be hard since almost all the characters are original. I'm open to feedback about them. Eric's mother went through some tweaking on thsi chapter because she was critisized as being mean. **_

_**This chapter reminds me of the phrase "the littlest things cause the largest reactions". Aine's Accident is going to fuel the next few chapters. lets see what happens...**_


	17. Eric's Father

HERE IT IS!

I check ym story stats and am so happy to be on 40 favorite lsits and 60 alert lists for Night Cry. I hope everyone is enjoying this story, please review if you have the time.

I'd also like to remind everyone that the V-day/Fairytales contest has been extended

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**Official contest information: ht tp: / w w w. fan fic tio n. ne t/ ~va len tin esf aet ales**

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**THANK YOU FOR READING and waiting...**

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This was just as hard on Eric, as it was on Aine. He knew this was killing her and he was going to prolong it. He wanted to see what she would say to him. She still didn t know he knew about her accident. He shut and bolted their door. He started stripping as he did every night and tried to keep with his normal routine.

He was going to show her. She was going to be terrified and he wasn t mad. She was going to assume he d hurt her and he wouldn t.

Aine did her best to stop shaking and not cry. Eric didn t know what she did. No one had told on her. She thought about just not telling him, but knew that wouldn t work. He d find out eventually and he d be even angrier. He had made it clear he didn t want her to withhold things from him and be deceptive. He let her first lie pass once when they first wed and she hid her other kick marks. He wouldn t do it again.

She stripped down to her shift. She wondered if she should just get naked. Maybe he d be calmer if she did what he had been wanting her to do. She shook her head. She was too embarrassed to walk and get in bed naked. Besides, he d know right away something was wrong and she still wanted to choose when she d tell him. Every minute counted.

Eric watched her out of the corner of his eye and felt his stomach twist into knots. They were both in hell, only she didn t know it. He saw her strip and move around the room slowly. He tried to watch her face, but couldn t decipher all her emotions. Once she crawled in bed, he hastily put his stuff away and went to lie beside her. She would tell him. He would just have to be patient.

They were both quiet for a while. Aine knew she had to do something. He was going to suspect something was wrong and she d lose her upper hand. She weighed her options. Maybe he wouldn t hit her too much. Then she could apologize and have sex with him and hopefully all would be forgiven by the next day. She could deal with that. She hoped he d only use his hand .

Eric laid there patiently wondering if this plan was worth it. Maybe he should just say something anything to get the ball rolling.

"Aine,...how was your day?" He fought with all his might to keep his voice neutral.

This was it. She gulped.

"I...I had an accident." her voice was barely audible.

Eric willed himself to not respond right away. He aimed to keep his voice void of all emotion.

"What happened?"

Tears streamed down her face. She was shaking with fear.

"I knocked over a bowl and it broke."

"Did you mean to do it?" He asked, knowing the answer.

"No." a sob escaped and she bit her lip, crying silently.

"Then...Don't worry about it. It was an accident."

Eric felt sick. His body was tense. He wanted to tell her it was fine. He wanted to lay his sword at her feet and swear he'd never harm her. He wanted to hold her. He wanted to shake her and tell her she had no reason to fear him.

"Wh-what?"

She couldn't believe her ears. This was madness. This was impossible.

"It was only a bowl. We'll make more. I'll buy more."

"You're really not mad?" she asked incredulously, still not breathing correctly.

"No, accidents happen."

God help him, she sobbed harder. Her whole body shook. She would have collapsed were she not already in bed. All of her fear, anxiety, sadness, shame, and mounting emotional tension wahsed over her like a tidal wave. She couldn't hold back as relief and disbelief inundated her.

He reached out and held her. He hated to see her cry. He would give anything in that moment to make her stop.

He rubbed her back and stroked her hair. He hushed her. He prayed to every god he knew, even ones he didn't believe in.

She slowly quieted. She didn't understand her husband. She really didn't. He never got mad at her. He never yelled at her. He never struck her. He never acted how he was supposed to.

Eric didn't know what to say or do. He wanted to calm her. He wanted to make ehr feel better. He wanted bliss between them. Time and all their probelsm seemed to drift away at night when he pulled her into his arms and she welcomed him into her body. perhaps thats what he needed ; perhaps that all he could do.

He kissed the skin below her ear.

"Can I love you?" He whispered and began to trail kisses over the shell of her ear.

Aine was briefly surprised at his words. She didn't feel any desire in this moment to lay with her husband. But it was what he wanted. After all the drama she caused, how could she refuse him?

And could she actually refuse him?

They were wed after all.

Her husband was a surprising man, but still a man.

She nodded weakly and returned his kiss.

His hands were gentle as he touched her. His lips were passionate as he tried to show his affection for her.

But her hand hardly moved. Her lips only parted slightly. Her kisses were quick and detached.

He realized she wasn't interested. But she had told him it was okay.

He pulled away.

"You don't want this do you?"

She wouldn't meet his eyes and he cupped her face. He saw all he needed to know.

"I won't be mad...do you want this?"

"No." She whispered. "I'm tired."

Drained. She was drained and Eric knew it. It made him feel sick all over again to hear that she was gonig to have sex with him even though she didn't want it. He couldn't form words.

"Go to sleep."

"You're not mad?" She asked timidly.

"No. Get some rest, sweeting."

He pulled her close and kissed her head.

She was alseep in minutes.

He didn't sleep a wink.

After an hour, he finally left their bed to go clear his thoughts.

He walked outside and enjoyed the cool night air. Soon it would be freezing and he'd lock himself indoors. He wondered what he'd do if a night like this became a regular thing. Winter should be a great time to make a fire and pull his wife close to his body and keep her warm under their blankets. He was going to retire to bed early and try to sleep late once the heavy snow fell. It would be rest and reward for all the preparations they were making. This year everyone would eat well and that thought kept everyone moving even when they were exhausted.

He found a nice spot by a tall tree. He leaned against the bark and let his body sink onto the grass. He stared up at the moon. He enjoyed the silence, only interrupted by grasshoppers and the occasional hooting of owls. He thought about the same things that had been bothering him. His wife's abuse and subsequent mistrust. He thought about tonight. He thought about his impulsiveness and the choices he made for this girl.

This girl who was now his wife. The woman who would bear his sons. The one he could never get away from and who could never get away from him.

He had made it that way, intentionally or not. He wondered if perhaps it was on purpose. If he self-consciously tried to keep her with him. She had no family, only a distant cousin they probably wouldn't be able to contact even if they wanted to. He had killed her father and now she had no one to go back to if she wanted to divorce him. Likewise, he had no one to send her to if he ever wanted to leave her. he supposed he or his family could try to force her onto another. But he wouldn't do that and his family wouldn't go against his marriage in such a way. It would be too complicated.

He had decided her fate for her. He asked for her hand and paid the bride price without speaking a word to her. He came and dragged her out of her home in the middle of the night. He killed her father. He took her far away from her home which was probably the only place in the world she'd ever been. He settled her into a marriage amongst strangers; a marriage she couldn't end if she wanted to.

He sighed. His thoughts were interrupted by a twig breaking underneath a boot. Eric looked up to see his father standing in front of him.

"I coudn't sleep."

"Me neither."

His father settled on the ground near him. for it being so late, his father seemed relaxed and almost serene under the moonlight.

"What is bothering you tonight?" He spoke softly and Eric tried to gather his words.

"Marital problems."

"hmmm...You're mother knows something is going on. She is bothered by this. Your sister knows what it is and we can't get her to spill a word. She is so loyal to her older brother."

His father didn't seem particularly pleased with this.

Eric smiled. Ella had kept his secret well.

But now it was time for Eric to talk, at least to his dad.

"Aine is scared of me."

Gustaf's face remained impassive. He wanted to keep his son talking.

"Some young wives are nervous in the bed chamber..."

Eric interrupted him with a dry laugh.

"The bed chamber is the only place she doesn't fear me."

or at least doesn't show it, he thought. He remembered all the times she d touched his body. He found no fear in her then.

Gustaf shook his head. He went with the easiest answer. Eric was not a clod or a brute, but perhaps he forgot how delicate a husband must be with a virgin bride just learning about the sexual arts. He doubted this since Eric had been taught better and married once before.

He didn't know exactly why his daughter-in-law feared his son, but knew already the answer would upset him.

"She...she was beaten by her father. She was berated. She has..no confidence." Eric paused. "She is healing; slowly."

His father nodded, not sure if she was healing or not. He also wondered how bad she must be for this to be 'healing' and an improvement. He knew every detail by Eric's word choice. Eric wouldn't use the term 'beat' in place of a light cuffing. He wouldn't call a reprimand a berating.

Eric's father felt the same disgust as his son. Their household was not an abusive one. It wasn't a sign of strength to hit someone smaller than you. It was dishonorable.

Eric was both calmed and made anxious by his father's silence. He appreciated his father letting him speak and take his time. He also knew any replies he received would be thoughtful. But he wished his old man would say something. He knew what it was like to be his wife in this moment; waiting in silence.

"You've never seen her unafraid." Eric tried to defend his bride.

He knew her in the rare moments where she was free. He knew her in a way no one else did.

His father nodded. "What happened tonight?"

"She had a mishap today. She broke a bowl. She assumed I'd be furious." He took a breath. "She thought I'd beat her over a fucking bowl."

Neither man could wrap their minds around the absurdity of that. Even Hida wouldn't beat a slave over a broken bowl. She might cuff them if they were slacking off and breaking everything, but she'd probably laugh it off if it was a girl she was fond of.

"Why are you keeping this so quiet?"

"My wife will not be gawked at or treated differently. She will heal. She will learn to trust me and learn to run my home. I can't let her be treated differently because of this. I can't hold up her transition anymore."

"What will you do?" His father asked point blank.

"Convince her to trust me that I won't harm her."

He nodded, feeling like his son had a bigger problem than he could handle. He didn't know if this kind of damage could be fixed.

"I am here to help any way I can."

"Thank you."

"Get some sleep." His father rose and patted his shoulder before going back to the longhouse to take his own advice.

Eric sat and did some more thinking. Tonight was a very difficult night. His wife nearly bedding him when she had no interest had really upset him. He wondered about all the times they had mated. Was she interested? Was she scared to say no?

He thought about their time in the bathing hut, where he taught her how to ride him. She was so upset. Could she have really been interested?

He knew she found pleasure from their couplings, but that wasn't enough for him. He needed her to want it, not to reluctantly enjoy it; not to grind her teeth and make the best of it.

These thoughts kept him awake until close to dawn. He crawled in bed with his sleeping wife. He wondered if he had ever raped her. He wondered if he was a good husband.

Sleep finally overtook him and he ended his night with no answers.


	18. Practicing

Hey All!

I wanted to announce that I'm very excited to be doing an author chat in the Fangreaders group. if anyone is interested in chatting with me about my fics, please ask for an invite from fang readers gmail . com. The chat will be on friday, 3pm chicago time.

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Aine woke up first in the morning. This was very surprising for both her and Eric. She was concerned that her husband was still asleep. She thought about the night before. She knew he wasn't mad but wondered if she'd hurt his feelings.

She had refused to assume he'd never hit her. If she lived with false hope, it would kill her when reality came. And that reality would come quick because she'd get complacent. She didn't know what he saw in her, but he'd be sure to see everything wrong with her if she wasn't careful.

Perhaps a bowl wasn't a big deal. He obviously had money. She might have made him feel cheap. She probably dishonored him with her words. Tears welled in her eyes at the thought.

But still...Maybe he wasn't a man who hit. He appearently didn't demand sex from her. She still could hardly believe he just stopped and held her. It was unthinkable. He had seemed so surprised that she was afraid of him. He was confident and nonchalant about something that drove her mad all day.

As she watched him sleep and thought about the night before, Eric began to wake up. He could sense her staring at him. His eyes opened and he could tell immediately that she was still upset. His hand reached up to stroke her cheek. She lowered her head and kissed him. He took it as a good sign.

He heard the noise from outside their room and realized they both overslept.

"Come, We're off to a late start."

She nodded and followed him as they got ready and dressed for the day.

They were almost finished getting ready when Eric decided he couldn't wait for that evening to talk to her. His talk with his father had convinced him to get some things out in the open. He also knew that his mother would eventually question Aine about her skills in running a household. He had overheard Hida talking to Ella, speculating about Aine's domestic skills, or lack thereof. He stopped her as she headed for the door. "Aine," he said softly, taking her hand. "There is something I want to talk to you about."

She tensed. This was it. He had changed his mind about the bowl. She had shamed him. She had made him feel cheap when she questioned him. She dishonored him. Out of force of habit, she closed her eyes and waited for the blow.

Eric watched his wife react, first with confusion, then with anger as he realized she was waiting for him to hit her! Her father had done this! If he could go back and kill the man all over again, he gladly would. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and forced himself not to react when she flinched.

"Aine, be calm, Sweeting," he soothed her. "I am not going to hurt you. But there are some things we need to speak about."

She opened one eye, then the other as she looked warily at him. "You.. you're not?" she squeaked.

Eric thought the best way to handle the situation was to be gentle but firm. "No, but please, sit with me." He moved them to the bed and sat them down.

She waited. Any moment he was going to change his mind; she just knew it. She replayed the few things that had happened since they had awakened to try to discover her error. She did not understand what she had done wrong, why he was about to hurt her. But she had not always known why he father had hurt her either. She had always been too stupid to understand when she had made a mistake, a fact her father had flaunted in her face thousands of times.

Eric was exasperated but did a good job of hiding it. His wife's timidness would have to be dealt with sooner or later, but now was not the time.

"I want you to know that I am not ashamed of you for what your father did to you. What he did was wrong. What he did was not your fault. No matter what you may have done, he should never have kicked you or beat you with a whip." Eric had to stop before his voice started to seethe with anger. He knew she would think he was angry at her if it did. She started to speak, maybe to argue, but he held up his hand.

"Please, let me speak first." He waited until she nodded before he carried on. "I am not ashamed, but I do not want to tell people that your father beat you. I do not want them to pity you. I do not want them to talk behind your back about things that are none of their business. Do you understand? I want to protect you."

"Yes, yes Eric," she stammered, unsure of where he was going with this conversation.

He went on. "At the same time, people will be curious about you. They will want to know about your family and how you are raised. We should talk about simple answers that will satisfy their curiosity. Not lies, but we will leave things out, like the fact that he hurt you. All right?"

Aine didn't understand why her husband would want to protect her, but she was grateful. She knew that, once they knew about her past, some of his people would find out how stupid she was and would make fun of her anyway. But maybe this would hold it off for a little bit longer. "OK Eric. Thank you."

"You are welcome," he responded, unsure of why she was thanking him but he just went along with her. "Now, your mother died a long time ago, right? Do you remember what happened or how old you were?"

Aine had to pause. She had not thought about her mother in a very long time. All that she could remember, in truth, was soft hands, a soft voice, and smiles. "She died of the fever, my father said. I was very young. I barely remember her."

Eric pounced on her words. "You were very young, your mother was ill, and you do not remember much. That is all you will ever have to say about your mother here. It is obvious that your mother was not there to teach you the womanly duties that mothers teach to their daughters. That is not your fault, either."

Aine nodded, encouraged. She now understood why Eric was having this conversation with her. He was trying to help her. Other women had already asked her questions or wondered why she did not know how to do some things that they did. "You're right, Eric! I will tell them when they ask!"

Eric was surprised and very happy to be rewarded with one of the genuine smiles that had so intrigued him about the beautiful, confident woman who had shown his men to the marketplace that day so long ago. He couldn't help but to embrace her and give her a long kiss on the lips. Both of them looked longingly into each other's eyes when it was over. They knew they could not linger.

Eager to continue in this positive note, Eric asked more questions. "Did people ever come to your home to visit? If so, how did you entertain them?"

Aine looked at him like he had grown a third arm out of the middle of his forehead. "Entertain?"

His brows furrowed. "Did you never have guests? Celebrations?"

She thought she understood what he meant then. "My father had men who would drink with him. They would come to the house and stay sometimes."

Irrational anger and jealousy flooded Eric. He looked at her sharply. "These men. Did they touch you?" He knew that his wife had been innocent on their wedding night but that didn't mean her father's disgusting cronies hadn't tormented her.

She didn't understand why his temper had suddenly soured but she hurried to answer him. "No, Eric! I was forbidden to come out of my room!" She was suddenly afraid again.

Eric saw her fear and hurried to remedy his error.

"Do not fear, Sweeting. I am not angry with you. I was afraid that they might have hurt you."

He pulled her to him and kissed her forehead, smoothing her hair like you would a frightened child until she stopped shaking. He had his answer right then. She obviously had no idea what he meant when he asked if they'd touched her. She wouldn't be able to hide something like that from him; she had no skill in women's guile or lying about sexual matters. He knew she would think he would blame her and her fear would be palpable. He was glad to be able to be sure. In case he was wrong, though, he gripped her shoulders gently and looked into her eyes.

"If they had touched you in some way, Aine, it would not be your fault. The wrongdoing would be that of your was his job to protect you" He pulled her back in close and his heart melted when her small arms snaked around his torso and held him as he held her. They rocked together for several minutes while he thought of what her answers meant. "Did your father work, Aine? Did you have any money?" He hoped his question would not make her feel ashamed again but her voice was calm when she answered.

"No, Eric, at least not since before I was old enough to carry water. We never had money. I often bartered my services tending children, gardening, or cleaning to put food on our table."

Eric closed his eyes and saw red again as he thought of that fat, drunken man whipping his Aine after it was her labor that had fed the bastard. He managed to keep his anger and frustration out of his voice and body language as he addressed her.

"There are many poor families here, Aine. Being poor is nothing to be ashamed of."

He thought about how she should answer questions that he knew would come, most likely from his own mother. "You will say that you did not entertain family because there were only the two of you. Your mother did not teach you how to entertain guests or run a household because she was not alive, and in truth there was no one to entertain or feed but your father. Say nothing further."

Aine's heart was full to bursting with gratitude to her husband for helping her with this problem that she had already begun to experience. Instead of screaming at her and finding fault, he had talked to her and helped her to work through what was bothering her. She had never known a man like him. Could it be that men from this country were different than the ones where she was from, or was it just Eric? As she sat next to him wrapped in his arms, hearing his heart beating and his chest rumbling as he spoke, something else unfamiliar stirred inside of her. Before she had time to contemplate it further, he spoke again.

"As much as I would like to linger here with you all day, we have much work to do." Eric spoke with genuine regret and once again looked forward to the days when the cold would allow them all to stay abed to keep warm.

"Thank you for helping me, Eric," Aine said shyly from beneath his arm where he had tucked her. "Your mother will be looking for us, will she not?"

"Yes, she will," Eric said, getting both of them to their feet. They walked to the door and stared at each other, smiling, before Eric finally broke the spell. "Make sure you eat something," he said, still worried about his wife's lack of attention to her health once she started working. He would miss her more than usual this day.

"I will." Aine could only shake her head in disbelief at the surprise Eric had given her this morning. She set off on her way with an uncharacteristic smile on her face.

The couple walked out. Eric heard his name being called by the other men within seconds. He turned toward his wife who nodded her 'goodbye.' He ran off and Aine began to search for some left over food. She ate a piece of fruit until her mother-in-law found her.

Hida knew her son and his wife overslept. She also knew her husband knew something, as did her daughter. Too many people knew things that she didn't, in her opinion. This was her longhouse and she should know everything. Eric was her son. Didn't that make his problems her business?

"Good morning." Aine put on a smile to cover her nervousness. She hoped she hadn't embarrassed herself the day before.

"Aine, have you...are you feeling better?" She asked, remembering her manner and not getting right down to business.

"Yes, thank you."

"Good...Have you ever hosted guests at your old home?"

Aine surprised Hida by smiling shyly; the older woman took this as a good sign. Aine's confidence was boosted greatly by her talk with Eric, and she wondered how he had known exactly what to do to help her. She was surprised and gratified that he cared, and blushed slightly, very new feelings toward Eric blossoming inside of her.

"It was just my father and me and he had no business associates to entertain." She carefully stepped around the details just as she and Eric had discussed. "My mother died when I was very young and our household was small. There were no female relatives to step in and teach me such duties and my father allowed me to take small jobs outside the home to assist with our needs. He had, um, infirmities and spent most of his time in our home."

There! That hadn't sounded so bad! Had it? Aine eyed her mother-in-law anxiously to see if she accepted her explanation of her upbringing.

"You worked outside the home!" Hida exclaimed.

Her son had spoken very little about Aine's father but his eyes burned with anger when he did. She could only begin to guess what "infirmities" the man had. Sending his daughter to work instead of doing it himself? It was a father's duty to provide for his daughter! Not the other way around. No wonder the girl had no domestic skills! Though the fault was not Aine's, but her father's, still this was unacceptable. She decided right then and there to gather some men for Aine to practice being a hostess to. She remembered Aine hadn't served her husband during their wedding feast; could the girl even pour a cup of wine?

She felt sorry for her dughter in law who didn't seem to know half the things she should. Soon Eric and she would be moving to their own home and she'd be expected to know all this and more. It was going to fall on Hida to teach her.

After hearing her mother-in-law go on and on about her duties as a wife and future duties as head of the house, Aine found herself feeling very unsure of herself. She didn't think she'd ever be a good taskmistress. She listened intently to her mother-in-law's words about how pleased Eric would be if she could run a home well. She had wanted to please him since she accepted their marriage and, after last night and this morning, she had to make him happy.

She was left standing in the hall while her mother-in-law went to get her 'practice' guests. She was going to learn this. She was determined.

Eric spent the day getting up to speed on the plan for the men to leave. They hoped to be gone within a day or two's time. They were scurrying around all day to get things together. His father pulled aside his sons and the men they were expected to take guidance from to explain what he expected. Eric was only somewhat fearful. If they stuck to trading instead of raiding, everything would be fine and that was the current plan.

He had noticed something strange, but didn't have time to investigate it right away. Some of the men were walking with slave girls into the hall. It looked liked the girls were fetching them. While the hall was always buzzing, these numbers seemed out of the ordinary. He walked toward the front door, which was left open. His mother was right outside giving instructions to a slave. Once he got closer he saw something that made him pause. His wife was serving the men.

He was enraged. He had respected that his mother ruled the house and he couldn't interfere. But he was her husband! Didn't he have some say? She had been slaving away in the garden. She worked longer than some of the actual slaves. She didn't eat enough. She hadn't experienced any leisure that he could see. And now, here she was serving the men!

Eric walked up and interrupted the conversation. "Leave!" he commanded and the slave turned to scurry away.

"Eric!" His mtoher said shocked.

"Why is my wife serving my men?" He bit out.

"Eric, she has to learn. She has no hosting skills. It's essential. Your sister practiced in the hall as well." She said calmly.

"My sister isn't a married woman." He said through clenched teeth.

"Eric, enough. She needed to know this. She should have been taught before you wed. This isn't your place."

Eric stood there seething. He was so frustraited he couldn't think straight. He had hoped to diffuse the situation by helping Aine with her explanation about why she didn't know how to run a home, but it hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped. His mother did have a point, but making her serve his men, who were beneath her, was not the answer in his opinion. "I think I need a drink." He said curtly and walked in the hall.

Aine had just finished pouring a cup for one of the men when she heard her husband approach. She turned and smiled when she saw him. She was proud at what a good job she was doing so far, with only one or two mistakes. Now was her chance to show her husband her progress.

"Are you thirsty?" She asked while approching him.

"Very." He said, his voice sounding flirtatious but his body tensed.

The other men were wary. Eric sat down and his wife produced a cup and filled it for him. He enjoyed her breasts being placed right next to his face. He hoped the other men didn't have similair enjoyment before he arrived. Aine was smiling and he took a sip, before returning her look. "Sit with me." He patted the place next to him. Then he surprised everyone there by pulling her onto his lap and tickling her while he nuzzled and nipped at her in that soft spot behind her ear that he liked so much.

"Eric!" Aine squealed quietly, giggling and trying to protect both her ribs and her neck at the same time. She put her arms on his shoulders and kissed his cheek, gazing at him with adoration. She briefly looked out the door toward her mother-in-law. She didn't know if hostesses sat with their guests and she was still praticing. She decided that since Eric had asked her to, and he was her husband, it must be all right. She put the jug on the table and sat next to her husband as soon as he let go of her. Unsatisifed with their proximity, he wrapped his arm around her and drew her body back up to his. She jumped from his sudden movement, thinking he was going to tickle her again, then leaned against him. Eric's hand wrapped around her hip and his fingers rested on her thigh. She wondered if this was proper behavior for a husband and wife in front of the household, but said nothing. Besides, she was enjoying herself.

From outside the hall, Hida watched the newfound affection between her son and his wife. She knew her son had done it out of jealousy, eager to claim his wife in front of the men. She was proud that he hadn't turned on Aine; she had raised her son right. She smiled and walked away, letting something else claim her attention for a few moments before she had to return to her daughter-in-law's lessons.

"How as your day been?" Eric asked, still holding his cup.

"Good, and yours?"

"Very busy. I've missed you." He nuzzled her hair and leaned down by her ear. "It was hard to focus on work and my men knew I was thinking about you."

Eric was purposeful with his actions and words. He wanted everyone to remember exactly who she was and what her title was. He also knew that no one could hear what he said in he ear; let them assume it was something naughty. Aine blushed and felt butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"What have you been doing?" She asked, enjoying the feel of Eric's fingers moving up and down on her leg but still worrying about others watching them.

"We're preparing for the group to leave." He looked over his head at the other guys, who hadn't made a peep. "It's been a very long day already...I hope all the work gets done since some people were missing today."

He moved his head to look at his wife once more.

The other men began to fidgit at his words.

"I believe I'm finished...Thank you, Mistress."

"Me too."

"Yes, Thank you."

They began to rise and quickly leave the hall.

"You're welcome." Aine replied, obloivious to her husband's annoyance and actions that had prompted the men to leave.

"I think your practice is over. You did well. I am proud of you! Did you eat?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied, smiling and blushing at her husband's words of approval but wondering why he was so concerned. He was more worried about her eating than seeing to the needs of their home.

"Good. Why don't you get some more food and then go do whatever it is you were planning on doing this afternoon. I must go finish with the men. I'll see you for the evening meal."

"Alright." She replied. He kissed her lips. Both of them felt the kiss ended too soon, but there was work to do. Eric rose and went walking outside. He thought his mother was still angry at him, but didn't feel contrite. He felt his duty to protect and care for his wife outweighed her control of the house and the duties of the women.

Aine went and grabbed some food, as Eric had wanted her to do. She ate quickly so she could get back to work. She had smoothed things over with her husband, but still had her mother-in-law to deal with. She wondered if she was capable of being like her and running a household. Appearently Eric expected this of her very soon. She could clean and handle nearly any task, but making big decisions and ordering around others were an odd concept to her.

Eric and Aine both ventured outside and found chores in and outside of the longhouse that would keep them busy, but after only an hour or so Eric went looking for his wife again. He had put on a good show in front of his men but still felt a need to claim what was his. Besides, he liked seeing her blush.

He found her in one of the many pantries counting dry stores, probably for his mother. Perfect. He wanted privacy. He got her attention by clearing his throat as he leaned casually against the door. She jumped when she saw him, nervous again. He didn't want her to be nervous around him. Maybe what he was about to do would help them get past that. He smiled softly at her and watched her eyes widen. He knew that she could see what else was in his smile. Heat. Passion for his woman, the one he was about to claim as his alone. He stalked forward slowly, not wanting to scare her. She was like a frightened deer sometimes and he didn't want her to bolt.

"Eric?" she questioned him, confused. He just kept walking toward her, smiling. She backed up a step, then another, him following, until there was nowhere for her to go. "Eric, you're scaring me!"

He reached out and took a lock of her hair in his hand, marveling at its softness. He closed the distance between them. "Don't be scared sweeting, not of me."

She was too inexperienced in the ways of men to really understand what he was doing, why he had sought her out. The only other man in her life would only come looking for her to give her a beating. "Then what..?" her face was starting to look terrified.

Eric would put a stop to that, he vowed. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. She resisted at first but he began to stroke her back. He tilted her face up to his. "I.." he kissed her gently. "Want.." He kissed her harder. "My.." harder still. "Wife!" At the end of his last whisper he hoisted her up on a storage bin in the back of the closet and bent her back, his kiss deepening. Then he did what he had come here to do. His hand found its way up under her skirt as he moved between her thighs, parting them for his touch. His skilled fingers began dipping into her hot passage as he stroked her most sensitive spot outside.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, finally understanding what he had come for. He never stopped kissing her and after a moment she relaxed in his arms, giving herself over to the powerful sensations his hands were bringing out in her. He had pleasured her before, in bed, but this time was all for her and he was going all-out!

Eric smiled against her lips and then started kissing a hot trail along her jawbone, down to her collarbone, finally pulling her gown away and gazing hungrily at her. His eyes moved upward to capture hers. "These are the most beautiful breasts I have ever seen," he declared. Despite what he was already doing to her, she blushed all the way to her toes, smiling delightedly at his words. No man had ever told her that any part of her was beautiful before Eric. Eric loved the response his words got from her and his hand under her skirts worked that much harder to make her feel beautiful there too.

Aine was lost in heat and pleasure and she didn't know what was better. His hands at her core or his mouth on her breasts. Either way, something was building in her and it was nothing like what he had given her before. This was all new and much more intense. Aine forgot where they were and that she was supposed to be afraid of her husband; all she knew were his hands and his mouth on her. She began making little whimpering noises and thrashing her head back and forth, grasping at the wood beneath her behind with her hands. Eric moved her hands to his chest and silenced her with more kisses.

Suddenly her hands tightened on Eric's shirt and her whole body reared up. She screamed into Eric's mouth and her legs sought him out to wrap themselves around him. She was in the throes of the most powerful climax she had ever felt in her life. Not that she had felt many, but this one was amazing! Eric's hands slowed and his movements became soothing, bringing her down from the aftershocks while he made sure she felt every one of them. Finally his hand moved upward and splayed across her abdomen and he moved his face away to smile tenderly down at her. If he lived to be a thousand, he would never forget the way she looked here in this pantry, lips swollen from his kisses, eyes wide, skin flushed from the first time he'd given her release with his hands only.

Naturally, she was immediately embarrassed and turned red, looking away from him.

"Don't, Aine," he whispered to her. "This is natural and many husbands and wives don't bring each other this kind of pleasure. This is special. Do not look away from me when I have made you feel like that." He kissed her forehead and smiled. She blushed even redder but nodded resolutely and smiled back. Then she suppressed a giggle. Eric tilted his head, curious as to what she found funny.

"Truly? What you just did to me was… normal?"

He smiled then, understanding. "Yes, and I hope to do that many many times in the future!" He helped her to sit up and straighten her clothing.

As he lifted her back onto her feet she swayed against him, unable to keep from giggling this time. "I feel very wicked!" She confided in him.

Eric wanted to tease her but thought better not to, given that this was their first time having nookie in a corner. So, he was all tender smiles and touches as he helped her fix her clothing and hair, then let her leave the room five minutes before he did so that nobody would know what had been going on in there. They promised to see each other at dinner.

Everyone was in a clamor about the men leaving and the dining hall was noisier than ever. The couple sat together near the head of the table and politiely joined the conversation. There was still tension between Eric and the men Aine had practiced her skills on, but a new ease and camaraderie had developed between the newlyweds that almost everyone noticed.

Hida couldn't help but be impressed by her duaghter-in-law's work ethic, but was still in shock over the skills she lacked. She was also fuming about her son's words to her and his breach of conduct earlier that day, but she was being forgiving because of the way he'd been with his high-strung bride in such a tense situation. She also hated that her son, her husband, and now her daughter were all hiding something from her. This was too mcuh stress for an elderly mother. She also had to send her babies away for the first time as men. She knew she'd be completly gray in a month's time if this continued.

Eric's family was both joyous and nervous about the trip. The boys felt honored to be given so much attention and responsibility. They soaked it up and couldn't wait to come home and be celebrated for their sucess. The men who would guide them had similar feelings. Ella remained silent about what her eldest brother had told her and couldn't stop thinking about her sister-in-law. At least the couple looked happy tonight.

Eric repeatedly waved over slave to give him and Aine more food. Once everyone began to retire for the evening, he turned to his wife.

"I have to go attnd to a matter. Go to our chamber and I'll be there shortly." Then he turned his head away from everyone and winked at her.

She nodded, a bite of food in her mouth, blushing at the wink.

He rose and walked out of the hall. He still needed clarification and, given the newfound warmth between Aine and himself, he was hoping to find it this night.

* * *

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	19. Confirmations

Hello!

Here is the update. As some of you know, I'm putting up things on LiveJournal. The link is already on my profile, under homepage. I know following me there and friending me might be a hassle for some people, but there are incentives

1 - if i get pulled here, I'm backed up there.

2 - I can add banners and picture to the stories on LJ

3 - I'm recorrecting all of my fics before they are moved. extra parts and more description might be added to smaller chapters (namely the ones i posted right before bed)

4 - I plan on adding side stories / just lemons to accompany the story on LJ

I can't promise any time line right now because both my coauthor and I have found ourselves neck-deep in RL problems.

Thank you all for waiting!

* * *

Eric walked outside and relaxed against the barn. He cleared his head. After the progress with his wife, he was less worried than he was before, but this was a matter he still had to address. He knew his wife was willing today. But he still wondered about all the other times.

Until his wife had almost bedded him when she had no desire, Eric never thought about the matter. He was a chief's son, a prince. He was a warrior. He assumed any woman who knew he didn't rape would simply tell him she was uninterested. Thinking about that now, he understood that saying 'no' to him might not seem like a good idea for some people.

He watched as people began moving around to find their beds for the night. Some of the men remained in the hall to drink, but most went to bed so they would be ready to watch the men leaving the next dawn. He saw his quarry walking and waited for her to move away from the group before approaching.

"I need a word." His voice made her stop.

She was shocked. Pamela had been a slave at the farmstead for many years and never before had Eric ignored her. Since he wed his new wife, he hadn't come to her. Most of the female slaves were still avoiding him since the incident with Lorena. Pam couldn't believe Eric had lashed out like a monster, the way Lorena described it, but she kept her distance as well. She nodded at him and followed his lead. He took them to the back of the farm house where they were alone.

"It's been a while." She broke the silence, unsure of what he wanted.

He nodded. "I have a question...You know how I feel about women and sex. I disapprove of how some of the men are with the women - especially the new ones." He paused. "But have I ever pressured you or anyone else into my bed?"

"You aren't violent," she said, surprised.

"No, but I am the son of a chief. I am called a prince and 'his highness' by foreigners. It's not acceptable to deny me much of anything." He explained.

"You've never commanded anyone to have sex with you. You are a good man...You've been very good since you matured. When you were young, you assumed every woman should be eager for you and treat you as a gift from the Gods." She smiled and he blushed.

"I was a boy trying to be a man. And was slightly full of myself."

_So was half the female population_, Pam thought to herself. He didn't seem like a raging lunatic. He seemed like the same Viking man he always was with only a little less confidence. She wondered, as they all did, what was going on between him and his wife. She decided to just act normal with him.

"I missed you." Her hand stroked from his shoulder down his chest.

He caught it right above his nipple. She looked up at him, surprised. He didn't release her and his face was impassive. "I'm married."

"You were married before," she reminded him. She remembered how he took her the night before his first wedding. He was primal and rough. She loved it. She worried he'd stop calling her to him after he wed, but was dispelled of that notion soon after when he found her alone in the barn milking a cow. She remembered how he tasted when he found his release in her mouth.

"My wife cares for my needs." he said evenly.

She chose to remain silent, but doubted this. Eric had taken his pleasure with multiple women in the course of a day before. He'd summoned her and another lovely girl to his chamber so he could experience them together. He did things she'd never heard of until he showed her the world of men and women. She would never forget the day he explained how he could mate with three separate parts of her body. She had never been as shocked as she was when his finger entered her back entrance.

She really couldn't imagine his little wife doing all this for him. She was a virgin when he brought her here. Pam had helped wash the bloody linens from her Master and Mistress's room. The quiet redhead didn't seem the type to keep up with Eric's many appetites.

"Thank you for helping me with this, Pam. I have to go now." He squeezed her hand and let go.

"Goodnight, Eric." She walked to find her bed for the night. She didn't think she'd ever experience Eric again. He might actually love his wife and stay faithful to her, something she'd heard of, but had never seen in her long years.

Eric walked back to his chamber. He found his wife sitting up on the bed, her head snapping around when the door opened.

"Where were you?" she asked sharply. She regretted her outburst immediately and amended it. "I was worried," she told him in a softer voice.

"I'm sorry. I had to talk to someone. I'm here now." He sat on the bed and leaned down to kiss her, inwardly pleased that she had worried.

"Is everything alright?" She asked. Eric had never sent her to bed alone and it seemed like he was gone awhile.

"Yes. ...I have to look for something." He walked to the cabinet. He was stalling. He didn't want to tell his wife who he went to see and what they spoke of. He didn't want her to question him so he wouldn't have to lie.

There actually were some things he needed, but he didn't plan on looking around the room for them in the middle of the night. He began to sift through his belongings, Aine watching him inquisitively. She slowly got out of bed and he lifted his hand to her. As she took it, he got down on the floor, pulling her with him.

"What do you need?" she asked him curiously, thinking maybe she could help. She knew he didn't seem right; maybe he had lost something important and no one could tell him where it was.

"There...There were a lot of things we didn't do when we wed because I rushed us," he replied, framing it so she knew it wasn't something she did.

"Oh...Like what?' She asked, unsure. She briefly wondered if they'd missed something important and if that affected how they were viewed. Their marriage was the quickest and smallest ceremony she had ever heard of.

"Well, it was warm out so if we would have partied outdoors before the wedding, I would have raced you to the house and carried you across the threshold. We would have exchanged swords. I would have more gifts for you; there are still some you need." And he planned on getting them to her. He left out that she could have offered to pour their wine, even though he still would have urged her to drink before him. There was no need to upset her. She was obviously unfamiliar with such traditions, whether it be because of their different cultures and birthplaces, or maybe her father had selfishly limited her experience of the world. He did not know, but it was not her fault.

She thought her husband and his people were a bit odd. She knew she was married and had begun to feel and act like a wife. But it still felt weird to her sometimes. Those few words they spoke in front of his two friends bound them together. It was so simple. She still had yet to get any blessing or recognition from her church, but didn't want to bother Eric with that at the moment. She thought about his words. She guessed she could understand racing with him and having him carry her. But what was this business about swords?

"What swords?"

Eric smiled. "You would have given me a family sword to symbolize that I would now be protecting you and I'd present you with the sword you'll one day give to our son."

They both paused at his words. Aine wasn't stupid. She understood that the sword she lacked didn't matter. Even if she had one, it had no significance. Her father never protected her. Eric would be taking on the role of something – her protector – that hadn't existed prior to their marriage. The thought gave comfort to Aine and a new and strange warmth suffused her insides. She tried not to show Eric how his words had affected her.

Their son.

They had mentioned children at their wedding. But this was the first time she thought about it realistic terms. A person, who she was supposed to give a sword to; hers and Eric's son.

Deciding to break the silence, He stroked her cheek. "I think we can manage even if we aren't doing things in a timely fashion." She forced a smile and tried to pry herself from her thoughts. He pushed aside everything and rose, helping Aine up, and began to guide them to their bed. An idea struck him and he caught her around her waist as they stood next to the bed.

"Did you miss me?" His voice was husky and she knew what he was implying.

"Yes."

"I want to show you a different way a husband and wife come together. Do you want that?" He asked.

"Yes!" She was curious and missed the pleasure he gave her. She remembered her shock the day he showed her that she could be on top of him while they mated.

"Crawl on the bed, on your hands and knees," he instructed. He released her and she began to move onto the bed. "Keep going...good, stop." He knelt behind her and placed a hand on her hip. His other hand reached to stroke her hair, which she had taken down for him. She took a deep breath of anticipation. This was very new and interesting. She was slightly nervous, but very eager as well.

He placed both hands on her knees and began to slide them up her backside, pushing her shift up along the way. His knee gently parted her thighs and he enjoyed looking her pink folds from this angle. His hands were practically shaking as he undid his pants. He stroked his cock to ease himself before slipping a finger just barely inside of her. She gasped with surprised pleasure; she was ready for him and he couldn't have been happier. He ran his tip over her and she moaned, backing her hips up into him without realizing what she was doing. He smiled and found her entrance, pushing in slowly. She kept pushing against him and he smoothly thrust his whole length into her. She screamed and he paused.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked, worried.

"No...no..no...Good. It's good." She mumbled out the words. He had slammed right into her sweet spot and the feeling was amazing.

Eric smiled with delight, tightening his fingers on her hips affectionately. His wife was never quiet, but he had no idea what a screamer she was. His hips rocked into her and she kept moaning. He was going crazy from the sounds she kept making. He slammed into her hard and she just got louder. She wanted more. Soon his hips were moving in frenzy and he felt her walls clench around him. He didn't even have to touch her nub to bring her pleasure again and again. Her arms finally collapsed and he gripped her hips to hold her steady. She came two more times with her ass in the air and her husband riding her hard.

Eric was practically in pain waiting for his release. He wanted to prolong this. He finally let go and came forcefully inside her! He had never come so hard in his life, shooting jet after jet of his hot seed into her, his hips thrusting over and over of their own accord. He wondered if it was ever going to stop! He made sure to not collapse on her. Aine, who felt like a hot puddle of goo, made no sign of being able to move yet; her legs were weak and her body was very relaxed. Eric didn't withdraw and clung to her that way for a long time, both of them savoring what truly felt like their first coupling together.

Slowly they began to roll over. The two found each other's embrace lying on their sides face to face. Eric kissed her and stroked her face. Aine ran her fingers through his hair sand massaged his scalp while throwing her leg over his. They lay there for a long time with their foreheads pressed together. He knew they were tired. He was still wearing his clothes, with only his pants open. She was still in that annoying shift he was planning on shedding from her body.

He finally stood and she took that as her cue to get under the blankets. He stopped her and grabbed the hem of her shift. He pulled it over her head before she knew what he was doing. He dropped his head to nuzzle her breasts, his tongue darting over her nipples. "I missed these." He said loud enough for her to hear before moving away to strip for the night.

Aine blushed and smiled. Maybe she could let him have his way from now on if that would be his reaction to her naked body. She was still modest, though, and scurried under the blankets. She watched him peel his clothes off, looking at him as though she had never seen him before. Her eyes widened as she fixed her gaze lustily on this man who belonged to her. His manhood was now peacefully resting against a thatch of blonde hair between his legs, because of what she had given to it. He turned and she watched his shirt rise over his back. She marveled at the sight of his tush. Her husband was gorgeous and she couldn't get enough of him! Feelings of pride and possessiveness coursed through her for the first time since they had wed. She was beginning to wonder if her attraction to him was healthy or moral. He made her feel things she never thought possible.

Although she turned her head at the last minute, Eric knew she had been watching. He recognized the look in her eyes. He had seen it on many women before he had come to their beds. It was her look of pride that surprised and pleased him the most. His cock began to harden and he'd enjoy walking back to her like this. Perhaps she'd want him again. Aine did her best to not stare as an aroused Eric approached her. He climbed in bed with her and pulled her close. His lips trailing kisses all over her.

"Eric." she breathed.

His fingers found her. She pulled him on top of her. He was too horny to tease her and slid right into his favorite place to be. His rhythm was steady and slow. Her loud moans and incoherent sounds from earlier were replaced with deep breathes and quiet 'oh's. They came together before falling asleep. Tomorrow was a big day and they had to wave the men off at sunrise.


	20. Learning

finally...an update.

sorry for the wait. but to say there is drama going on is an understatement.

my coauthor and I are trying to find ways to write more (often) and work faster. but quality is more important than speed.

I put up a poll for Deadly Words on my page, please vote. I might add a different poll at a later date, lets see how this goes...

as always, thank you for your patience **please read and review**

* * *

Eric had been trying to wake up Aine for 20 minutes. He was dressed and ready to go. She'd been talking to him – quite well – without waking. She assured him she was awake, but didn't move. She even answered a few of his questions. Now she was snoring. He shook her shoulders.

"Aine…Get up."

She stirred, but didn't wake up.

He decided he had to be more drastic. He grabbed her legs and swung them off the bed. Her eyes flew open. She was truly awake now.

"We're going to be late. I pulled your clothes out."

Aine was very disoriented. She stretched and yawned. She was slightly annoyed with her husband. If he wanted her to get up, he could have been nice instead of just pulling her legs off the bed. Maybe he was upset because he was running late. She knew she couldn't help with getting them up on time. She brushed the matter aside and began to dress. She noted Eric kept his back to her and peeked over his shoulder to see if she was done. He didn't understand her shyness, but made an effort to appease it.

Eric was slightly irritated that his wife was still so shy. She let go after he had her naked and started pleasuring her. She was too tired afterward to go put her clothes back on. But she still felt better when he turned away from her and still wore than damnable shift to bed each night. He knew they'd only been married a short time and his wife came along with some particulars other women didn't have, but he was impatient. He knew he just had to wait for winter. Then he'd have her cooped up in the longhouse for months on end and would ensure they spent most of that time in their room.

Aine dressed hastily and followed her husband out. He'd been in a hurry since he hastily woke her this morning. She was pleased she had gotten up right away, even though it was because he swung her legs off the bed and onto the floor. Her haste probably eased his morning since he was obviously running late.

Soon they were standing outside with everyone else. It was a large group of people and Aine kept up with Eric as they weaved through to the front. He found his brothers and men readying the boats. He went over and began to help. She stood there unsure of what to do. She felt like she was being stared at and of course she was. Although most people focused on the men and Eric's immediate family, some eyes stayed on Aine. Sven and Bjorn wondered how things were going with the couple and how things would continue as they set sail. Both had the same fears and hope for their best friend and his bride. Aine did marvel at the scene in front of her, but knew Eric's friends were indeed looking at her. His brothers and sister did the same now and again. According to common knowledge no one knew a thing about Eric's marriage and there was great curiosity and speculation still.

Eric was nervous. He wondered if this was insane. He thought about how he should be readying to get on a boat right now, yet he was staying. He prayed to every god he knew, even ones he never came to before, for the safety of his men, his brothers, and for his marriage. He looked at Aine. The fact that they could never divorce just made him want to put more effort into their marriage. He wondered if others would get deterred. He knew people didn't see the changes he did in his wife. He pulled his eyes from her and caught his mother standing near his father. She looked dignified. He knew this was hard on her. He rationalized that this would be hard even if it happened next summer when he was at his own keep and his brothers were the men of this longhouse.

Sven and Bjorn were more excited than anything else. Sure, there was pressure to watch over Eric's younger brothers, but this could be a fun adventure. They were still worried for Eric. Bjorn had less faith in the marriage working out than Sven, but knew that Eric rarely failed at anything he set out to do. Sven noticed that no matter what was going on, Aine's eyes always drifted back to Eric. He took solace and found hope in that. Both men had received hugs from Hida and gave their promise to keep her sons safe. They walked to say their 'goodbyes' to Eric.

Aine couldn't hear what Eric said to his friends before they left, but they spoke quietly for a few minutes. She still remained a few feet away, feeling like she was intruding. Once the two men went to get on the boat, Eric came over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and watched his parents walk their sons to the boat. Eric had already taken a few minutes with both boys and offered them encouragement. He showed no hint of fear as he sent his baby brothers on their first trip. They appeared to be embarrassed as their mother fussed over them, but a glare from their father kept them silent.

Aine felt more at ease when Eric held her. She could ignore the stares, even though they only increased. She may not have felt as though she had a place in this informal ceremony, but she felt like she had a place beside Eric. She reminded herself she was his wife. If only she could overcome her embarrassment, she'd ask more about her role. Eventually she'd have to do so. Her husband was very smart, but this seemed like a woman's issue.

Eric stayed behind with his wife long after the crowd dissipated and the ship could barely be seen as it sailed away. His mother was pulled into the longhouse by her husband almost as soon as the boat kicked off. Eric knew she probably started to cry and went in search of privacy. He would hug her later. He looked down at his bride and saw how tired she looked as she yawned.

"Why don't I take you back to our room for an hour or so?" He asked.

"Oh no, that's alright." Aine replied automatically. She would make it through the day.

"I woke you very early. Sleep some more and I'll send someone to wake you."

His tone was soft and smooth, but Aine could detect that he wasn't going to be open to her arguing. She nodded and he kept his arm around her as they went back to their chamber. He tucked her in. He actually tucked her in and she was surprised. She couldn't remember the last time anyone did that for her.

Eric didn't sleep, but began to work. He had a serving girl bring breakfast to his wife two hours later and explained to her that his Aine should open her eyes and sit up before the girl took her leave.

While Eric worked, Aine slept and ate. She fixed herself as best she could since she was in a hurry. She went off and helped some of the women set up the looms and begin the process of clothes making. She chatted briefly as she did so. Eric, on the other hand, worked alone and said nothing to anyone. He had some thinking to do and plans for later that day. He sent his men, his best friends, and brothers off to stay with his wife. He needed to make their marriage a priority or else there was no point in him not getting on that ship this morning.

Aine wandered around looking for something to do. Everyone was unofficially avoiding Hida. She was an emotional wreck over her sons leaving and the loss of control she felt over her home and family, but was trying to hide it and act like a strong leading woman. This morphed her into a demanding, perfectionist taskmistress.

She ended up in the kitchen helping to make bread for dinner. She worked alongside four other women. Sophia, who she knew from her first day working in the garden. Astrid, who always smiled despite having many of her teeth missing. Laren, who was only a few years older than her. And a woman named Pam who she hadn't spoken with before. She knew that some of the women were slaves, but it made no difference to her. She also realized that as Eric's wife, she held more status than anyone, but that also meant nothing to her. She didn't note their differences and hoped no one else would.

It was relaxing to knead the dough. The flour felt cool on her hands despite it still being pretty hot outside. The ladies began their idle chatter and she quietly listened. She could smell Astrid getting the stew ready for the evening meal. Eric had been trying to fatten her up and she was beginning to crave food more often now. He was spoiling her.

"I hope the stew is as good as last night's meal, I told Henrik he has to eat well and gather his energy." Laren said coyly.

The other women laughed. Aine was a little unsure what was funny.

"I'm sure he'll eat well either way...in the hall or while he's between your thighs." said Pam.

The women got noisy and Aine put her head down. _Why would he eat whilst he was between her legs? _She didn't want to be left out, but certainly didn't understand their humor. Was this an inside joke about Henrik? She doubted it. She smiled as though she understood and kept making bread.

"Oh! Look at Aine smile! She must be recalling a fond memory." Sophia piped up and drew attention to her.

"Oh...No." She mumbled, she felt like a rabbit caught in a trap with hunters approaching.

"She's embarassed, let her be. We all take care of our husbands - and some of take care of other people's husbands. And we all eat well." Laren said mischivously.

"I can't believe you are embarassed, Aine! With being married to Eric of all people!" Sohpia gushed, unaware how uncomfortable Aine was feeling.

"Especially to Eric!" Laren exclaimed

Pam watched her carefully. She was still curious over what she and Eric had discussed. She knew Aine was not embarrassed. She didn't know what they were talking about. She was still innocent and Eric hadn't made it his mission to educate and corrupt her. This surprised her. She knew he had some fun with his first wife after they got to know each other better. Eric seemed more interested in her need to please him, than in her herself. But he found pleasure in their marriage bed and taught her new ways to please him. He still ran to Pam and told her, honestly, that she was the best he'd had. He also made his rounds with the other girls the short time he was wed.

Now he was not only being faithful, but wasn't teaching his wife things a sheltered gentle unmarried lady shouldn't know. Pam shook her head and asked the other women to change the subject.

It was also a precarious situation. Ella, being unmarried, knew some from the lack of privacy of the longhouse and the constant gossip. She'd been in the room when her parents had sex under their blankets. But she didn't seek out knowledge about sex. She'd learn what was necessary prior to her wedding night and have her husband explain the specifics of the sexual arts as their marriage progressed.

The women kept talking about sex, but Aine was more aware of what they were saying now. She learned a few more things and had a feeling her husband was an expert.

Soon after, another slave came in and stated that Aine was needed in the barn and she would take over. Aine thought this strange, but quickly left.

She hoped it wasn't her mother in law. She couldn't imagine who else it would be though.

She walked in and didn't see anyone. As she kept moving she spotted Eric readying a horse. "Eric?" She asked, surprised.

He turned and smiled. "I wanted to take you riding. You need a break."

Aine was shocked. This was no time for a break. There was work to do! How did he expect her to learn? How did he expect their home to flourish if she took a break?

Eric was truly the weirdest man she knew. He started to lead the horse and came to grab her hand. She wondered why they were taking one horse. She knew how to ride after all.

Eric said nothing as he mounted and extended his hand to her. He pulled her in front of him and brushed his lips over her cheek as he kicked them off.

They were quiet as they rode past the village grounds and along the rough path through the woods. Eric felt determined. He was going to talk with his wife and with any luck, make love to her outside. Aine was mesmerized by the sights in front of her. Eric's home - her home now - was truly beautiful. She was so homesick and being out, away from people, was easing her greatly. There were more trees and fewer plains here. The ground was uneven, but didn't have hills like the ones she'd tried her best to make time to enjoy at home. It was different, but similar and without a doubt gorgeous.

Eric rode up the path near the peak, but didn't go past the grassy area. He stopped the horse and helped Aine down. The horse wandered off to the nearby stream. Eric knew he'd come back when called and didn't acknowledge its departure. He wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and led her to a spot under a tree. He helped her to settle on the ground and slipped off his belt, which had his long hunting knife attached to it. He cuddled her against him and she relaxed in his embrace.

She still didn't know why or if it was acceptable for them to be missing work. There seemed to be so much to do. She felt overwhelmed with all she had to learn.

His fingers traced idle patterns on her hands and wrists. He was gathering his words. She was becoming more conformable each day, even if she didn't notice it yet. He knew few others did, but he didn't miss her growing trust for a second. He was still going to be patient and not just make impassioned declarations and promises. His wife was abused; a promise that could be broken meant very little to her. It was actions that would win her over in the end.

"I was...unhappy that you were so concerned over an accident." He said quietly, breaking the silence.

She went to pull away and he refused to budge. His hand kept caressing hers.

"It was a simple mistake. I am a particular man, but not an unreasonable one. I'm not perfect either."

He said nothing and she didn't speak. He could feel her goosebumps and her body shook once or twice as he spoke. He just kept touching her; calming her.

When she said nothing he continued, tired of her not speaking.

"Aine." She looked at him. "I am your husband. It's my job to care for you. You mustn't fear me so."

"How can I not?" The words flew from her lips in a quiet, almost child-like voice.

"Because you must be able to trust me. I would give my life to defend yours. I would do anything and everything within my power to care for you. I'm entrusting you with a lot as well." He pressed on the obligations of their marriage. This was language his wife understood. Perhaps he could convince her she had a duty to love him...

"Like what?" She inquired.

"My home. One day, my babes. Most of my needs." He listed off the big things he could think of. "I provide protection and our wealth. I see that our home is built and you run it for us. We both need each other. And our people, our family."

She was silent. His words were kind and gentle. He never described their marriage as him lording over her. He was truly entrusting her with a lot. She hoped she could do it.

"You are upset I thought you were going to beat me?" She said, switching the subject back to something easier.

"Yes."

"Can I ask you something?" She was cautious.

"Anything."

"If you did...beat me, would anyone stop you?" She nearly held her breath. Wouldn't it be great if someone would interfere? If his man's word and his decision as her husband could be challenged?

"Yes and no." She looked perplexed. "Aine, I am your husband. Yes, I could lawfully do so. No, you can't up and leave if I do," He look a breath. He didn't tell her she couldn't leave because she was stranded, with no family, in another country. "But do you really think my mother would be alright with this? Do you think she'd let me sleep in her long house after that? Do you think my father wouldn't have me resting with the dogs outside?"

She blinked at him. His words were both terrifying and soothing. The fact that it was lawful for him to hurt her made her sick with fear. She didn't understand why he mentioned her not being able to leave. Divorce was almost impossible where she was from. After their weird marriage ceremony, she wondered how people here divorced or if they did at all. She didn't have too much time to consider the possibilities.

A few weeks ago she wouldn't have believed that a man had parents like her husband did. His mother was strong and somewhat pushy. She was also fearless. Mother or not, Aine couldn't imagine anyone yelling at Eric or removing him from his home. No matter how she felt about him, Eric was huge, forceful, and scary. Aine wasn't totally oblivious; she saw the way her husband was obeyed by everyone.

His father was quiet, but very respected. She couldn't imagine him ever lashing out in anger, but she believed Eric's words. There was a seriousness to her father-in-law's eyes. She never doubted his authority, but struggled to fathom how he maintained that authority with no violence or aggression.

Her rational mind and present mind, the one that was immersed in this marriage, told her Eric meant no harm. Her reflexes and her memories told her to not trust him. Part of her still wondered if he'd change and what would happen if she opened herself up to false hope. These parts of her battled each day. She wanted some guarantee that would appease both her smarts and her emotions. She nearly sighed with how impossible all this was.

"If you get mad...Can you promise to tell me before you hit me?" She asked, trying to find a compromise. She wouldn't have to be so afraid if she knew she'd have warning.

Eric felt his stomach churn at her words. He tried his hardest to remind himself this was progress. She was certainly far more open and candid than when they first wed. She trusted his words (or was willing to try to) and was asking him for a promise. She didn't ask him to promise to not hit her - only to warn her. If he kept caring for her as well as he had, maybe she'd ask for that promise one day.

"I will give you whatever promise you want." He said evenly, refusing to admit to a possible time where he'd strike her.

She was perplexed by his words. _Was that a 'yes'?_"You promise?" She clarified.

"I promise." He said solemnly, knowing the event in question would never occur.

Aine felt better. She leaned against Eric and let him hold her. She tried to imagine her future. It was hard to do. Of course, her husband was going to be there everyday. There were always children running about and the fact that she and Eric would have babes was mentioned. It was still hard for her to imagine being a taskmistress like her mother in law. Or being a mother. It was almost possible to imagine Eric being just like this all the time. She wanted to believe she could stay this content.

Eric ran his fingers over his wife's arms and back. Her body was healing very well. She wasn't even in pain when he touched her. She was the only woman to make him feel at a loss for words and make him act rash. From the time of his first beard girls had flung themselves at him. Even apart from his looks, his reputation won him many admirers. He was smart. He was a warrior. He was fair and never violent with those who were innocent. He didn't think he had ever forced a woman in his life. He had gained the perspective that it was hard to deny him, especially for a slave or poor woman hoping his favor would improve her life. But he still couldn't recall a particular time when one of his partners was uninterested in his advances and never a time when he hurt someone during sex. Even Pam recalled the loss of her virginity with a smile. She was a young slave at the time and he only had a tiny number of bodies and blood to his name. Certainly, there was some discomfort and pain at first, but he knew he did well by her.

He briefly wondered how Aine would feel about this. Would she not care about his very active past? Would she be jealous? Would she think his women were forced or coerced because he owned many of them? Would she see a difference between a free woman sleeping with her lord and a slave doing the same?

Eric shook his head. He wasn't sure he'd ever know and perhaps that was best. Even his innocent wife had to know it took years of practice to achieve what Eric could do in bed.

Aine was almost relaxed in Eric's embrace, but something was nagging at her. "Eric?" she said softly, wondering what his reaction would be to her next question.

"Hmmmm?" he responded, leaning his head down to touch the top of hers, his eyes closed.  
Aine felt safe and warm in Eric's arms, something she would really think about later. It gave her the courage to speak.

"Why did you pull me out of bed like that this morning? I was sound asleep, and I almost fell!"

To her surprise, Eric laughed heartily, pulling her into a tighter embrace and grinning at her. "You really don't remember?" he asked, still chuckling.

Now Aine felt embarrassed. Why was he laughing at her? She tried to pull away from him but he wouldn't let her. Her face turned red, and, to her further chagrin, she was almost ready to cry.

Eric noticed and stopped laughing. He tilted her face up to his and gave her a long, slow kiss. It was the kind of kiss that curls your toes and lights a fire in your core. Aine responded after a few seconds and was soon lost in him, no longer thinking about the morning.

"Sweeting," he said softly, "you talked to me for nearly twenty minutes this morning. I thought you were awake and I only meant to tease you. I did not mean to hurt you."

Her eyes widened. "I did what?"

He chuckled again. "You truly don't remember?"

She shook her head.

Eric chuckled again, only just realizing that he'd hurt her feelings a moment ago. "I am sorry, Aine," he said sincerely. "I asked if you were up, and you said you only needed to open your eyes. We talked of my brothers leaving and how I wanted to hurry out to see them off. You wondered what to wear."

Aine searched her mind for any remembrance of that conversation, and could find none. "I really did that?" she asked, wondering if he was somehow teasing her.

"Yes, you did." Eric's face was sober now; he was hoping that his laughter hadn't ruined his chances of showing her how nice it was to "go back to nature."

She sat there for a moment, thinking. Then, a slow smile started to creep on to her face. "I really did that?"

Eric nodded again.

Unable to stop herself, Aine started to giggle. "I'm so embarrassed!" she stated, her giggle turning into a laugh.

Eric started to laugh too, and soon they were both laughing hysterically. Eric saw his chance and made his move. He grabbed his lovely wife and started to tickle her. He had found all of her ticklish spots within two weeks of their arrival at home.

"Eric, stop!" she cried, tears now streaming down her face as she continued to laugh. She was trying to defend herself against his merciless hands, but every time she covered one ticklish spot, he'd find another. "Eric!" she cried again.

Finally he grabbed both of her hands and held them above her head, wrapping his other arm around her and rolling them onto the ground, with him on top. He settled himself firmly between her thighs, letting her feel the hard length of him as he found the spot under her left breast and kept tickling.

Aine struggled until finally he held her hands on either side of her head and lowered his body so that he was covering her, millimeters between them. He kissed her - the kiss started out slow and sensuous but soon he was kissing her hard, and deep, showing her what he wanted to do with another body part. All laughter was gone between them as she entwined her fingers with his and kissed him back, grinding her hips against him instinctively.

She wore one of the gowns from her home. It was one of the better ones. Hardly any holes or mends to it. The bottom was slightly frayed, but it wasn't a bad gown. He needed to get her a whole wardrobe. He wouldn't give her any more shifts or nightgowns. Eric was glad this was the gown she'd put on. Some of the clothing his women wore had far too much work attached. If she wore one of her new Norse gowns, he'd have to undo two broaches to view her breasts. It would be layered and he'd have to work harder to lift it so he could gain access to her. Unlike the gown she wore when they wed, this one didn't have a row of buttons. It was fitting and she slid her feet in it and pulled it up her body with ease.

He wanted her so bad. His cock was so hard it hurt. He began to push her gown up, wondering if she'd mind terribly were he to rip it. He knew she would. She moved her hips to help him. He reached between them to free his erection from his now-tight pants. He stroked her with his tip and felt she was wet for him already. He smiled against her lips and began to push inside her. Aine bucked her hips to get closer to Eric. She wanted him in her body very much. She never tired of the times when they came together.

Eric gave her exactly what she wanted in one fast thrust. She pulled her legs up and hugged his hips with her thighs. He hit her spot easiest this way. She began making those beautiful noises that pushed him so close to the edge. He started to buck hard into her. She screamed into his mouth as he kissed her. He rode her hard. She came at least twice before he was ready for his release.

He stayed inside her as his erection subsided. She kissed him softly and scratched his scalp. After a few moments, he forced himself to roll off her. "We have to get back." He said regretfully.

He rose and began to fix his clothes and put his belt back on. Aine rose as well and tried to smooth out her gown. Eric had her turn around and wiped the leaves off her back. They climbed on the horse and went riding. Before they got to the village, Eric stopped.

"Tell them you went for a walk and spoke with your husband. You are not obligated to say anymore. And remember I'll be thinking about taking you again for the rest of the day."

He kicked the horse off before she could reply. They departed with a kiss at the stables. Aine walked off and found her way into the longhouse. She was quickly recruited to help with the weaving. This kept her busy for most of the afternoon.

Aine saw Pam and Sophia coming out of the fields before the evening meal. They would be ready to harvest soon. She picked up her pace to catch them before they became tangled in the crowd or went inside the hall. No one really paid her any heed as they walked toward the long house and she cut across their paths as carefully as she could. Her eyes stayed zeroed in on the two women.

They slowed as she approached, curious and apprehensive. She stood before them and checked to ensure no one was staring at them. The banter and the rush for food were more important than three women chattering.

"I need to ask you something." She said with no preamble, knowing time was short. Eric would come looking for her.

Pam knew what she would ask. Sophia still had no idea how unworldly Aine still was. She really didn't want to be put more in the middle than she possibly was after Eric came to question her.

"I'd like to know what exactly...was being referred to when we were cooking. I know you know." She said calmly, trying to find the right words despite her embarrassment.

Sophia looked perplexed and turned her head toward Pam. Pam suppressed a sigh.

"You should talk to your husband about this."

"Please, I need to know." She thought about how of all the men in the village, Eric- her husband - was the one noted. It wasn't just because she was there; it was because this thing the women talked about concerned Eric.

"They were referring to a bedroom activity." Pam started. Sophia's eyes widened and she pressed her lips together. Eric's wife truly had no idea what they were talking about.

"It's where a woman takes a man's rod into her mouth."

"His..." Aine paused, the words catching in her throat. She thought that sounded gross and wrong. She doubted good wives did this; especially catholic ones. "And Wives do this? Eric likes this?"

Pam wanted to tear her hair out. Sophia began to see Aine the same way everyone else did when she first arrived: quiet, young, naive.

"Yes. Most husbands and wives do this. Eric likes it very much." She said kindly.

Aine nodded, though she didn't feel sure. "Thank you both."

"Your welcome. Talk to your husband." Sophia wanted to tell her Eric would gladly discuss this, That his impatience for progress and the completion of work, never factored into his carnal pursuits. She couldn't bring herself to interfere more and keep embarrassing the young wife.

Aine nodded and walked to the hall. Eric was already seated and he was looking toward the door when she came in. She forced a smile and went to sit beside him. Even though the actual noise level was the same as always, it seemed quieter without Eric's mother speaking. She was still stressed about her 'babies' and being left out of the chain of information concerning her eldest son's marriage. Everyone decided to alternate between giving her space and offering her a chance to join in the banter. No one directly asked how she was or how she felt about her middle children going a-raiding; they didn't have to and no one wanted to hear her tirades.

Aine tried to push her new knowledge to the back of her mind for now. Eric was slightly concerned about his wife being late to dinner. He wondered if perhaps she was over working herself again. He'd have to check on this; in the meantime he put some of his food on her plate to ensure she was eating enough. She glared at him from the corner of her eye, annoyed at his mission to fatten her up. She briefly, almost out of habit, wondered if he'd be unhappy with the look on her face. She hoped he wouldn't catch it, but he did and smiled unashamed of bothering her. She went back to eating her food.

Soon the evening was drawing to a close and Eric could find no interest in staying any later. He had seen Aine had stopped eating a few minutes ago, but asked her anyway if she was finished with her food and drink. She told him she was and he bid his parents 'goodnight' and offered his wife his hand after he rose. Aine took his hand and then his arm as she rose. They walked to their chamber. Her mind was spinning and she wondered if her husband knew what was going on inside her head.

Eric could tell his wife was lost in her thoughts, but had no idea what she could be thinking of. Perhaps their tryst or the conversation prior to it was still fresh on her mind. He knew she was already getting more leisure here than with her father, but he had very little time to spoil her. This afternoon was a nice break. He'd also instructed Bjorn and Sven to bring back the most beautiful gowns and jewelry they could find before they left. He hoped she'd be happy with her gifts. He was thinking about killing a wolf and making a cloak for her. It had been awhile since he went on a hunt anyway.

Aine stripped down to her shift and crawled into bed. Eric stripped off his shirt and put away his dagger with great care. He was truly the most handsome man she'd ever seen. She watched him continue to remove his clothes and hoped she was being discreet. His manhood rested against a thatch of dark blonde hair. Even when he was soft, his rod was large. She was still amazed at how it changed. It was both soft and hard when he was ready to come into her. Even though she was used to sex with her husband his size was still daunting. She was almost positive few men could compare to her husband.

She tried to think about what the girls talked about. His penis was beautiful, in its own very-different-from-her-body way. But to put it in her mouth? It seemed unthinkable.

She honestly felt it was a bit gross. Not all body parts were meant to come into contact with her mouth. Oral contact was very personal. His penis also emitted both his seed and at times urine. It didn't seem sanitary. And was it even safe for her to have his ejaculate in her mouth?

But she also knew he liked this. Other women not only do this regularly, but had done it to her husband. How could she deny him something he enjoyed after all he did for her? And if she didn't do this for him, would he simply seek out someone else? She knew she belonged to him. She doubted he belonged to her in the same way. Faithfulness, like virginity, was something for women.

Eric watched a dozen emotions run across his wife's face. He froze. He had no idea what she was thinking and it scared him. He really didn't want her to cry. He hated it when she cried. He hated it when she pulled away from him in fear. He tried to think about what could be bothering her and came up with nothing. He walked to toward her.

"What are you thinking about, Sweeting?" He asked, trying to sound casual.

"Today, while we were working in the kitchens," She took a moment to compose her words. She wanted to be careful since she had no idea how he'd react. She was about to say she was talking with the girls, but thought Eric may not want her to discuss their marital activities. She reminded herself to tell him she only listened. "The other women were talking about something and then they told me what it was….you were mentioned…They were talking about something men and women do."

Her blush was a deep crimson. Eric tried to sort through her broken words. She heard something about him and sex. He was relieved this wasn't a huge crisis, but was still didn't know if he was out of the woods yet.

"I see. What were they talking about?"

She looked away. Maybe she couldn't discuss this. Maybe she couldn't try this with him. But she had come too far and was stuck now.

"A woman…putting her mouth on…a man." Her voice was just above a whisper, but he heard her.

He didn't know how he felt about his wife learning this from the other women. The possibility never occurred to him.

"They said you like it." She added and refused to meet his eyes.

Eric decided he wasn't happy about that last part. He hoped he didn't look like a raging man whore to his wife. She had such silly ideas about sex and this could hurt her image of him. If a wife didn't respect the image and reputation of her husband, what hope did their marriage have?

"Aine, I am no virgin. It isn't strange for a man of my status to be intimate with the women around him." He said evenly.

"Is it what you want?" She asked, not even sure if it was her own voice she was hearing. She was really going to go through with this.

Eric's eyes bulged. She was propositioning him? His little wife? He walked closer to her. He couldn't talk about this with her staring at their blankets and her hands. He eased onto the edge of the bed.

"Why are you asking that? Is that what you want?"

"It's what you like, isn't it?"

Eric was quiet. He didn't want something she had no interest in. But once again, she was young and so very different from him. She may not want it because it seemed so new and weird.

"Its something I enjoy, yes. But not something I need or demand. You don't have to do to something with my body or with your own, you don't want to do."

Aine decided to keep her fears of him seeking out other women to herself, but not her desire to please him. "I want to be a good wife to you. I want you to be happy."

Eric chose to be happy with this. He had a wife who wanted to make him happy, who was willing to do things for him. A man couldn't ask for more.

"You make me very happy." He stroked her cheek, "I want you to be happy too. I…I would love to show you more things we can do for each other, but only if you are comfortable."

Eric couldn't have imagined a day where he would turn down having his cock sucked. He almost laughed at that thought, but felt that wouldn't do well. He wondered if his wife would relax enough for him to taste her. It was only right he go first. She made no indication she even thought about that possibility.

She nodded. She didn't think talking would make her any more comfortable. She just had to take the plunge. The fact no one would look at her cross if they knew she did this, made it easier. "I-I want to…..Will you be fine if I don't do good?" She asked timidly.

"I'll love whatever we do together. I hope you'll love how I please you too." He smiled at her.

His words ran through her mind a few times in rapid succession. He would please her too. She thought she knew exactly what he meant and couldn't help but let a surprised noise escape her mouth.

"You can do that to me?"

"Yes. I bet you taste like honey."

Both Aine and Eric felt like she was in over her head. He watched the look on her face. She struggled with these abstract concepts and her emotions over them. He took pity on her and decided to take control of the situation.

"Can I have my wife?" He asked and looked into her eyes. She bit her lip, thinking she should say 'yes', but the word wouldn't form in her mind correctly. "Aine, this truly isn't a big thing. You are still a bride. There is no shame between us. Besides, I own it and have seen it before, a kiss won't do any harm."

It was hard to argue with that logic. She nodded and his smile grew. He was happy and she had made him so. He pulled the blanket from her body. He was too eager to be peeved about her shift. When he tired to settle between her legs, her body tensed. She moved awkwardly. He decided he should get on top of her and slid down her body. She was at least used to that position. He began to kiss every inch of her face and she put her hands in his hair. Her body relaxed and he settled on top of her. He began to trail his kisses down her neck. He kissed and nibbled through her shift. He would have rather tasted her nipple than the abominable/cherished fabric, but it kept her calm to have a barrier between them as he began his descent down her body. Her thighs were together even though she kept telling them to open. Eric caressed her legs and bottom. He moved his hand to slide between her legs. She slowly parted for his fingers, a part of him she was used to having on her most intimate area.

She was moist, but too nervous to be dripping. He knew his tongue would moisten her more once he got there. She began to get nervous as he inched lower and lower. It wasn't true fear. It was just nerves and the dread that accompanies the unknown. She worriedly wondered how she tasted. She felt like she would just die if she disappointed him. Eric wedged his body between her legs and she was unable to close them. He moved her shift up. His thumb played with her clit for a few minutes before he used both his hands to open her up to him. Neither made a noise as he first looked at her.

"Beautiful." He whispered.

Her breath stalled. He thought she was beautiful; that her vulva was beautiful. She was going to do this and it was going to be fine.

"I'm going to kiss you." He told her before his lips moved to her hood.

It was a soft kiss. It was strange and felt nice. His lips moved to rest on her clit and he kissed again. And again. Finally she felt his tongue dart against her. Her hips jerked in response. He gently touched her swollen bud again. She whimpered and he smiled against her. He moved so his lips could run along hers. His tongue traced her folds until he found the nectar he had been hungering for. She moaned and withered as he tasted her.

Part of her still felt embarrassed and the lingering feeling that this might be wrong. She wondered if it was ever okay to have such passionate feelings. It was just too hard to think with Eric touching her like this.

Eric put forth all his effort. He licked every part of her pussy. He sucked on her lips and clit. He gently nibbled on her delicate skin. He listened to her moans and kept up with the things she liked. He had to make this perfect. If he could get her addicted to his touch, his mouth, she would always come willing to him. He knew she was shy. He knew she had all these questions and silly notion of right and wrong. He also knew it was so hard to talk to her with her because she became so nervous and embarrassed. Sometimes actions spoke louder than words.

The intense feelings didn't stop. They got stronger and stronger. She finally couldn't take it and came on Eric's face. Eric listened to her sweet screams as he lapped up all she gave him. He softly stroked her after she came. He kept his mouth on her as her breathing slowed. He finally inched up her body and pulled her into his arms. She was quiet and he let her be.

"Is that how it feels for you?" Her voice had a hint of awe to it.

God, he hoped so. He was painfully hard, but knew there was a chance she wouldn't be ready or wouldn't follow through once she started. He was going to show so much patience someone would write a ballad about him. Eric the Northman would become synonymous with self control.

Aine had already made her mind to do this for her husband. Her pleasure only made her want to do it more. If he could have the same feelings she just had, how could she deny him?

"I don't know how." She said quietly, her fingers making patterns on his chest.

He knew in that moment she was going to taste him for the first time. He was very excited. He knew she wouldn't be great at first, but feeling his wife's lips on his cock would be sweet.

"Just kiss him. It's easy." He used his fingers to draw her lips to his. Aine knew Eric wouldn't mind her being unsure or making mistakes by his behavior. He'd always been so patient with her in bed. She knew it was uncommon for a husband to give his wife time before they consummated their marriage, yet hers did.

He kicked aside the blankets, not caring that they hit the floor. She looked at his weeping member. She could practically see the blood rushing in his veins. She took a breath and slid down the bed. Eric laid back and tried not to do anything to startle her. She quickly leaned forward and pressed her lips against him. Her kiss was chaste and he moaned. His tucked her hair back and she looked up at him. The small smile on her face made him want to spill his seed. Aine was beginning to think she was overreacting before. This wasn't so bad. Eric was happy and she was making him that way.

She kissed him again and again. She tentatively touched him with her tongue. He groaned. She tried this a few more times and tasted his pre-cum. It wasn't so bad. Eric had been trying hard to be patient, but that patience was running out. He reached down and she stopped.

"Sweeting, can you….take the tip in your mouth? Just suck it." He almost started to beg

She looked up at him with unsure eyes and nodded. She wrapped her hand around his base. She knew she had to be careful about biting him. She slid his head into her mouth. Her movements were awkward as she found a way to hold him, without hurting him. Eric wanted to run his fingers through her red hair, but made himself wait. She had to get more comfortable. When she began to suck him, he knew all of waiting was worth it. He also learned the louder he got, the more she sucked him. He finally needed to take her hand and guide her in stroking him. She found a nice rhythm very soon. He was going to warn her before he came. She wouldn't be ready to swallow his seed yet.

Aine was actually enjoying herself. She felt almost powerful having her husband on his back while she pleasured him. She heard him calling her name. She felt his cock pulse and his breathing increase, but she didn't stop.

"Aine….Aine….I'm going to-…" He made a primal sound as he came.

His taste wasn't as bad as she feared it might be. She swallowed as best as she could. Once she was sure he finished, she wiped her mouth clean. Eric couldn't form words. His wife had swallowed her first time going down on him. Aine moved to lay on her husbands chest. His arms wrapped around her and she listened to his heartbeat slow.

"Was I good?" She asked.

"Absolutely perfect." He replied and she beamed. He kissed her head. "You are perfect."


End file.
